色拉寺 位于拉萨北郊的色拉乌孜山下。关于寺名来源有两种说法：一说该寺在奠基兴建时下了一场较猛的冰雹，冰雹藏语发音为“色拉”，故该寺建成后取名为“色拉寺”，意为“冰雹寺”；一说该寺兴建在一片野蔷薇花盛开的地方，故取名“色拉寺”，野蔷薇藏语发音也为“色拉”。寺院全称为“色拉大乘寺”。

    色拉寺是一所具有代表性的黄教寺院，是藏传佛教格鲁派六大主寺之一，也是拉萨三大寺中建成最晚的一座寺院。该寺是1419年由宗喀巴的弟子绎钦却杰?释迦益西在柳乌宗贵族朗卡桑布的资助下修建的。18世纪初，固始汗对色拉寺进行扩建。使它成为了格鲁派六大寺院之一。色拉寺的主要建筑有措钦大殿、麦巴扎仓、结巴扎仓、阿巴扎仓及32个康村。

sera in tibet means “hailstone”, legenD tills that it haileD During the founDation of this famous monastery. it is situateD at the foot of mt.peibuqie in the northern suburb of lhasa. sera monastery was founDeD in 1419 by jamchen choje, another Disciple of tsongkaba. it once houseD 5,500 lamas in its golDen, anD is prouD of its glouious history During ming Dynasy.