The Gelug Order, the most recent of the four major Tibetan-Buddhist orders, was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), typically shown wearing a pundit’s hat, monastic robes, making a teaching gesture and accompanied by a book and a sword. Invoking much of the work done by Atisha, Tsongkhapa originally called his school the New Kadam.

Today many know it as the “Yellow Hat” sect, best known through the office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. During the mid-seventeenth century, under the masterful guidance of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682), the Gelug Order greatly expanded its influence, particularly into the courts of Mongolia and China.