Currently, there are six recognized successions in the Western Region Esoteric Sect, and every single one of them is a legendary figure hailed as a chosen child.
The first Panchen Lama, Gendun Drubpa, was born in the place called Xieduo Dazuo near the Sakya Monastery in Ü-Tsang, Sakya County, Xigaze City in the Western Region. He herded sheep from childhood and became a Buddhist monk at Narthang Monastery at the age of fifteen, studying under the master Tsongkhapa of the Gelug school.
The second Panchen Lama, Gendun Gyatso, was born into a farming family in the Nanmulin area of present-day Xigaze City in the Western Region. At the age of seven, he was recognized as a Reincarnated Soul Boy.
Chapter 115