The full name of Sera Temple is "Sela Mahayana Temple", one of the six main temples of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Together with Drepung Monastery and Ganden Monastery, it is known as the three major monasteries in Lhasa. It is the latest one to be built among the three major monasteries. Sera Monastery is a national key cultural relic protection unit. It is located at the foothills of Sera Uzi Mountain, 3 kilometers away from the northern suburbs of Lhasa. It has been a place where eminent monks and living Buddhas have given lectures since ancient times. There are many small temples for monks and nuns surrounding it. To the east of the temple and to the south of the temple are Pubuche Temple, Miqiongreniku Temple, Gongbasa Temple, Pabengang Temple, Tashi Qulin Temple, Qusang Temple, Gali Nun Temple; behind the temple are Zhukang Richo, Sera Choding Temple and so on.

There are tens of thousands of Vajra Buddha statues preserved in Sera Monastery, most of which are made locally in Tibet. There are also many bronze Buddha statues brought from the mainland or India. There are a large number of original colorful murals preserved on the walls of the main hall and the Zacang sutra halls. The most famous statue is the "horse-headed king" in the main hall. Inside the Jizha Cang on the fourth floor, go straight into the main hall and pass a row of small halls, which is the innermost one. When a person becomes a pawn, he will put his head into a small shrine and touch the base of the statue with his head.

There is Miaoyin Hall in Sera Monastery. The main buildings include Cuoqin (assembly hall), Jizhacang, Maizhacang, Abazhacang and 32 Kangcun. In the early days, the buildings were centered on Maizhacang and Abazhacang. Later generations of renovations and expansions brought it to its current scale, so there was no overall plan for the layout. However, the buildings of Sera Monastery are dense but not crowded, mixed but not chaotic, adapted to local conditions, and have a prominent main body. They reflect the unique style of the Gelug Sect monastery and are completely a religious city.