Drepung Temple is one of the six major temples of the Yellow Sect. Its original name is "Auspicious and Eternal Ten Directions Zunshengzhou", which means "Dumei Temple" or "Jimi Temple" in Tibetan. Its full name in Tibetan means "Auspicious and Eternal Ten Directions Zunshengzhou". It is located in the valley on the southern slope of Genpei Uzi Mountain, about ten kilometers west of Lhasa City. It was founded in 1416 AD by Jiangyang Quji-Tashi Bandan, a disciple of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Yellow Sect. Before liberation, the temple had more than 10,000 monks and was the largest temple in Tibetan Buddhism. With 141 manors and more than 540 pastures, it is the largest temple in Tibetan Buddhism.

Drepung Monastery is a monastery of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China. Together with Ganden Monastery and Sera Monastery, it is known as the three major monasteries in Lhasa. It is located at the foot of Genpi Uzi Mountain in the western suburbs of Lhasa. The entire temple is large in scale, with row upon row of white buildings covering the hillside. From a distance, it looks like a huge pile of rice, hence the name Drepung. Drepung, which means "gathering of rice" in Tibetan, symbolizes prosperity, and its full name in Tibetan means "auspicious accumulation of rice in ten directions". It is the highest-status monastery in the Gelug Sect.