Dana Monastery is the only Yeba Kagyu monastery in Qinghai. The Yeba Kagyu tradition was founded by Yeshe Zhepa, a disciple of Phagmo Drupa. Later generations of followers honored him as "Sangye Yeba." In 1171, during the Southern Song Dynasty, Yeshe Zhepa built Yapu Monastery in the Kham region, which later became known as Yeba Monastery, giving rise to the Yeba Kagyu tradition.

Dana Monastery is also called the "Ling Kingdom Monastery" because of its connection to the legendary Tibetan hero King Gesar. While many scholars believe Gesar is a mythical figure, people in the Yushu region firmly believe that Gesar was a historical figure and that he once lived in Dana Monastery. The monastery houses many relics said to belong to Gesar and his generals.

King Gesar in The Epic of King Gesar was a follower of the Yeba Kagyu tradition.
In the Yeba Hall, the lower right quarter is dedicated to Gesar and is called the Gesar Hall. In the center of its east wall stands a 9-meter-tall statue of King Gesar, flanked by statues of his generals, Jiben and Jacha, which are slightly smaller than the central Gesar statue.
In front of the Gesar statue, there are swords said to belong to Gesar and Jacha. On the southern side, there are various belts said to belong to Gesar's queen, Zhuomo, including the most precious one made of conch shells. The walls display weapons, armor, and clothing believed to belong to Gesar and his 30 generals. There is also brocade khatas donated by the 9th and 10th Karmapas to the Gesar statue. On both sides of the west wall's door frame are sculptures of Queen Zhuomo and her sister Naichong, with the walls adorned with animal skins (tiger, leopard, bear, etc.) said to have been used by Jacha to transport tea from inland China.

In another small chapel of the Yeba Hall, there is a "Papen" scripture believed to have been recited by Gesar himself. On Longbao Mountain, west of Dana Monastery, there are many stone formations at the peak, including stupas believed to be the burial sites of Gesar and his generals. These stupas are in the Gelug style and have Tibetan inscriptions in various colors, though many have become unreadable due to weathering and animal activity. Inside some stupas are small clay statues, usually in four colors: the largest are white, followed by light red, dark red, and the smallest are black. Each clay statue bears Sanskrit inscriptions similar to the six-syllable mantra.

Unfortunately, most of the Gesar relics in the monastery were destroyed during the late 1960s to mid-1970s. Today, only a few items remain, including a felt hat, shield, helmet, fragments of armor, scripture pages said to belong to King Gesar, 30 small white conch shells from Queen Zhuomo's conch belt, and a few items from the generals Danma and Nang'e.