Although the epic is very long and elaborate, the theme of eliminating evils for the people runs throughout. Gesar was born as the son of the supreme god Indira. As a boy, he was very mischievous, but divine by nature and full of supernatural powers. After he became king of the state, neighbouring  countries attcacked the State of Ling. He led his people, fought against the invaders and successfully defended his country.

Gesar stories originated in the headwaters area of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers in Qinghai and are widespread in Qinghai, Tibet and in Tibetan-populated areas of Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan. The great hero and his brave army are kept alive in the rich. imaginative re-telling of the epic. From early times, the epic was passed on orally. Later on it spread to areas inhabited by Tu, Mongolian, Sala, Naxi, Yugu, Lisu, Korean, Mosuo and other ethnic minority groups. It has even spread across the border to the People's Republic of Mongolia and other former Soviet Union republics. It has also crossed the highest mountains in the world to reach India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, Kashmir and Pakistan.

"On the lips of every Tibetan, there is a Gesar tale." This Tibetan saying is indicative of just how widespread the historical epic is among the people. Today, Gesar stories are performed in Tibetan opera by a number of performance groups that have been organized themselves. Gesar's image and story are immortalized in carvings, paintings, murals, woodcuts, embroideries, songs, dances and plays.

Statistics show that Qinghai artists have developed more than 80 kinds of tunes. Each figure in the epic has its own tune or even a set of tunes associated with the character.