The monastery belongs to the Gelukpa or the Yellow Hat sect and is known for its 15 feet (4.6 m)-high statue of the Maitreya Buddha.

The external structure of the building was established in 1850 by the Mongolian astrologer and monk Sokpo Sherab Gyatso, who was head of the monastery until 1905.

During the Chinese occupation of 1959 in Tibet many high ranking abbots fled to India and took refuge in the monastery.

[1] The Samten Choeling monastery lies below the road and is today less visited by local people due to various religious beliefs and confusion.

[clarification needed][2][3][4] The monastery, which was built in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso, follows the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.