Yonyen Gyatso the 4th Dalai Lama is the only Mongolian among all the 14 dalai lamas.

In 1579, Altan Khan went back from Qinghai to Tumote (today's central part of China's Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region) and built the first Tibetan Buddhism monastery in Mongolia, which was named as "Jokhang Temple" as well, and a series of lamaseries with Mongolian characteristics.

In 1588 Sonam Gyatso the 3rd Dalai Lama passed away on his trip to Chahar tribe for a sermon. In order to strengthen the impact of Gelug Sect on Mongolia, Sonam Gyatso left a testament that his incarnation soul boy would be born in the Altan clan. In the next year, Altan Khan's grandson gave birth to a boy baby.

The three major Gelugpa monasteries in Lhasa, Ganden, Sera and Drepung, all sent lamas as envoy to examine the reincarnation, and confirmed the boy as the reincarnation soul boy of the third Dalai Lama Sonam Gyatso ,and gave the boy a religious name "Yonten Gyatso".

The confirmation of Yonten Gyatso as the fourth Dalai Lama and his entering to Tibet enhanced the influence and spread of Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia.