Palace Potala China. Potala Palace - Dalai Lama's Winter Palace
Tibet is home to one of the most beautiful Buddhist palaces in the world, the Potala. The building got its name in the 11th century. In 1994, the Potala Temple was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters. The Potala Temple is the official winter representation of the Dalai Lama. It was here that all the ceremonies, meetings with the Tibetan government were held. Currently, a lot of tourists come here from different countries the world in order to see with their own eyes all the beauty and power of the Tibetan temple, to get acquainted with rare exhibits.
History of the Potala
This beautiful temple complex is located in the picturesque Lhasa Valley on Mount Marpo Ri. In Tibet, it is one of the tallest monumental structures. According to a mythical legend, Songtsen Gempo (a Tibetan ruler in the 7th century AD) meditated in a cave on Mount Marpo Ri. Later, he decided to build a temple complex on the hill. The building had its original appearance until the 17th century. With the help of the Dalai Lama in 1648, the temple was restored and slightly reconstructed. Today it is this building that travelers can see when they arrive in Tibet. About 7 thousand workers and 1,000 artists took part in the construction of the structure.
In 1922, the Supreme Head of Tibet repaired the halls and other places of worship in the White Palace, and the workers also restored the Red Palace. This great building was damaged only once - in 1959 during the invasion of the Chinese.
In addition, the temple remained in excellent condition even after the robberies of the Red Guards, who destroyed many Tibetan palaces in the 60-70s. 20th century. In the Potala temple complex, all the exhibits and sanctuaries at that time remained intact.
Once upon a time, administrators and religious mentors were trained in the castle. In the White Palace are small chapels that are valued for their safety and sacredness.
White Palace
The Potala Temple consists of the White and Red Palaces. In the White Palace you can see the rooms of the monks of the Supreme Head of Tibet, the Solar and the Great East Pavilions.
It is worth noting that the Solar Pavilion consists of an eastern and a western part. The rooms of the thirteenth Supreme Head of Tibet are located in the western part, and the rooms of the fourteenth Dalai Lama are located in the eastern part. Tourists can see brocade blankets, jasper and gold tea utensils, porcelain sculptures, Shakyamuni Buddha statues and much more in the Sun Pavilion.
The Great East Pavilion is the largest in the White Palace. It was here that cultural celebrations and political meetings took place. The walls of the Great Eastern Pavilion are decorated with frescoes on the themes: “the life story of a princess”, “how a monkey turned into a man”. In the center of the large pavilion stands a large statue of the Dalai Lama.
Red Palace
In the Red Palace, the monks of the Dalai Lama read prayers in the name of Buddha Shakyamuni. Here you can see many pavilions with memorial shrines and other unusual rooms.
The Red Palace has eight sanctuaries, among which it is worth highlighting the rooms of the thirteenth Dalai Lama and the fifth Supreme Head of Tibet. Them appearance just surprises. They are so large and luxurious that any tourist will definitely remember the memorial sanctuaries in the Potala for a lifetime. The stupa of the fifth Dalai Lama has a height of more than fourteen meters (five-story building). It is completely made of real gold. Tibetan memorial shrines alone are a large part of the world's wealth.
The Stupa of the thirteenth Dalai Lama rises to a height of about 14 m. It was built in 1934.
In the Red Palace, travelers will see various attributes, unique scriptures, unusual products and handicrafts, icons of Buddhist saints, frescoes depicting the construction of the Tibetan temple complex.
The highest and most spacious hall of the Red Palace is its western part. This is where the Dalai Lama once received guests, held ceremonial events and held sacrifices. Among the exhibits there is a banner with imperial painting, brocade and gold threads. You can also see the statue of the many-armed and many-faced Avalokiteshvara, made of silver and gold.
The most ancient attraction of the temple complex is the Pabalakan pavilion (Avalokiteshvar) and the Favana cave (27 sq. km.). The pavilion is located directly above the cave, which allows tourists to view the beauty of the complex. Fawan Cave houses rare statues of princesses of the Tufan Kingdom: Ludongzang, Chizul and Wencheng.
Most of the roofs of the pavilions of the palace are covered with gilding and have a traditional Chinese form with flying corners, which are often decorated with animals from legends.
Potala Palace is a monument of Buddhist architecture. Many exhibits here are unique and amazing. Having visited this Palace, travelers want to come back here again.
Lhasa in Tibetan means "Land of the Gods" and the presence of the divine is really felt everywhere here.
When you come to Lhasa, especially on your first trip to Tibet, the first thing you notice is the Potala Palace (Tib.: པོ་ཏ་ལ potala, Chinese: 布达拉宫 budalagong), towering on Marpo Ri Mountain in the city center , which for many centuries was the winter residence of the Dalam Lamas. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical habitat of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the living embodiment of which is the Dalai Lama.
Construction of the Potala began in 637 by the king of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo. However, after a fire and internecine wars, the palace was completely destroyed and acquired its present appearance already under the fifth Dalai Lama in the middle of the 17th century.
In 1645, the Fifth Dalai Lama ordered the construction of the White Palace to begin. Three years later, in 1649, the 9-story structure was completed and the Dalai Lama moved into it from Drepung Monastery. Subsequently, the construction of the Red Palace was started, which was erected by 1694. An interesting fact, which is still the cause of various disputes and disagreements, is that until the completion of the construction of the palace, the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama was hidden from the people. According to the Fifth Dalai Lama, he died in 1682, but this news was kept in deep secret. There are many opinions about the reasons for hiding the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama. One version says that death was hiding from the people in order to complete the construction of the Red Palace. After all, the people building the palace were inspired by the deepest faith and respect for the Fifth Dalai Lama. The news of his death could stop the construction of the Palace, so his death was hidden for 12 years until the construction of the palace was completed.
Potala consists of 13 floors with a total height of 118 meters. Inside there are one thousand rooms, in which there are more than one hundred thousand altars and two hundred thousand Buddhist statues and images. Particular attention is paid to the stupas, which contain relics of the Fifth and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas. Currently, the Potala attracts thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. They circumambulate the kora (ritual detours) around the Palace, recite mantras and prayers, and make prostrations.
Mount Chakpo Ri rises opposite the Potala. In the 15th century, a medical college was located on this mountain, which, unfortunately, was destroyed in 1959. Now Chakpo Ri attracts pilgrims and tourists with its rock paintings. Many of them have survived since the time of King Songtsen Gampo (7th century).
I want to return to this place of power again and again, inhale this rarefied air with the aromas of incense, yak oil and crystal freshness, slowly make bark around the Potala, absorbing its history and wisdom.
The ancient kings of Tibet were mostly mystics, and many of them had strong ties with the wonderful land of Ergor, or Shambhala.
I don’t know exactly what exactly influenced the decision of King Songtsen Gampo to choose the Red Mountain for his palace, but it is known that he built the Potala on the site of his meditation. This cave of his meditations is still safe and sound, despite the various periods of Tibetan history, which did not spare the Potala.
The name "Potala" is borrowed from Sanskrit, and in Tibetan it sounds like "Potola" or "Puto", which means "mystical mountain" in translation. It consists of 2 parts - the Red Palace and the White.
The White Palace surrounds the Red Palace like a protective wall. It is very symbolic: after all, the white palace is the seat of the administrative, secular power of Tibet. The head of the Tibetan administration was the Dalai Lama. But here, few people mention that in addition to the head of the Government, for some time the Tashi Lama, the spiritual Head of Tibet, approved by the Lords of Shambhala, lived in the Red Palace.
The last Tashi Lama was forced to flee the Potala after a plot by the penultimate Dalai Lama. Thus, the penultimate Dalai Lama rejected the great Patrons of Shambhala. And soon after this tragic event, Chinese troops entered Tibet. Karma. The young Dalai Lama, the heir of the traitor Lama, our contemporary, had to move to India, where his residence is still located.
And Shambhala closed its gates to the Tibetan people. But not very tightly, the invisible Hand is still there, and the Kalachakra Teaching, which came from the Tower of Shambhala, finds ways for life in the world. And it's good that way.
Below is an excellent account of the modern Potala.
Original taken from anton_ermachkov to the Potala Palace
The Potala Palace, located on the Red Mountain in the center of Lhasa, is not only the main attraction, the shrine, the largest monumental structure in all of Tibet, but also the highest palace in the world. This palace is a unique monument of culture and art and a truly architectural masterpiece.
I don’t remember where and when I first saw a photo of the Potala Palace, but since then I wanted to definitely come to Tibet and see this miracle live!
Photo 2. The palace is located at an altitude of 3,700 m on the Red Hill (Marpo Ri) in the middle of the Lhasa valley. Numerous pilgrims go around the hill with the palace, making a kora - a ritual detour of the holy place. Along the bark are numerous prayer wheels and shopping arcades.
In 637, the king of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, erected the first building here in the place where he used to meditate. When he decided to make Lhasa his capital, he built a palace. After his betrothal to the Chinese princess Wen Cheng, he expanded the palace to 999 rooms, erected walls and towers, and dug a bypass canal. In the second half of the 8th century, lightning struck the palace and the wooden buildings burned down, then, due to internecine wars, the palace collapsed. Now only the Fa-Vana cave and the Pabalakan hall have survived.
Palace in his modern form construction began in 1645 on the initiative of the 5th Dalai Lama. In 1648, the White Palace was completed, and the Potala began to be used as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas. The Red Palace was completed between 1690 and 1694. 
Photo 3. 
Photo 4. The heart of the complex is the Red Palace (Potrang Marpo) - the highest part in the center. This part is entirely devoted to religious education and Buddhist prayers: 
Photo 5. The building consists of many halls, chapels and libraries on several levels with galleries and winding corridors. Richly decorated with paintings, gems and carvings, it contains several temples and tombs of eight past Dalai Lamas: 
Photo 6. The White Palace consists of a large eastern pavilion, a solar pavilion, the living quarters of the regent and mentor of the Dalai Lama, as well as government offices: 
Photo 7. The Large Eastern Pavilion was used for official ceremonies; the Dalai Lama actually lived and worked in the Solar Pavilion: 
Photo 8. 
Photo 9. We rise: 
Photo 10. Interesting wall material :) 
Photo 11. The palace was the main residence of the Dalai Lama, until the forced departure of the XIV Dalai Lama in 1959 to India and obtaining political asylum there. The Chinese government uses the complex as a museum. In 1994 the complex was listed world heritage UNESCO. 
Photo 12. Since the Chinese comrades have one hour to visit the palace, the inspection of the interior takes place almost at a run, but still I don’t understand how it happened that this is the only photo I took inside the palace: 
Photo 13. On one of the tiers of the complex: 
Photo 14. A good view of Lhasa opens from the upper tiers of the Potala: 
Photo 15. 
Photo 16 
Photo 17. And backlit: 
Photo 18. A little closer: 
Photo 19. On the square in front of the palace, the Chinese built an excellent fountain, which attracts crowds of tourists and citizens every evening. Tourists, having spread their tripods, are trying to capture the beauty of the Potala at night, children are running under jets of water, parents are running after children, couples are secluded on benches, and the Chinese military and firefighters are vigilantly watching everything that happens :)) 
Photo 20. 
Photo 21. 
Located on the Red Mountain in the center of Lhasa, the Potala is not only the largest monumental structure in all of Tibet, but also the tallest ancient one.
Myths and facts
The palace is named after legendary mountain The Potala in the South, where the bodhisattva Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) lives, who is represented on earth by the Dalai Lama. Legend has it that in the 7th century, in order to greet his bride, Princess Wen Cheng, Emperor Songtsen Gampo of Tibet built a 9-story palace with 999 rooms. After the collapse of the Songtsen Gampo dynasty, lightning struck the building and the wooden buildings burned down. Subsequent wars practically destroyed the ancient structure.
The construction of the current palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama. By 1648 the White Palace was built. Red Palace, added in 1694. More than 7,000 workers and 1,500 artists and artisans worked on its construction. In 1922, the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many of the chapels and halls in the White Building and made changes to the Red Building.
The Potala was the main residence of the Dalai Lama until the invasion of Tibet in 1959. The Dalai Lama XIV was forced to leave and received political asylum in India. The rest of the monks were expelled, and the palace was looted by Chinese soldiers. Unlike most Tibetan and, Potala was not destroyed by the Chinese army, and most of the artifacts are well preserved. Today, only a few monks are allowed to be there under strict supervision. The Chinese government uses the complex as a museum to attract foreign tourists.
In 1994, the Potala Palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Today, the complex is visited daily by thousands of Tibetan pilgrims and travelers from all over the world.
What to watch
The Potala Palace is located at an altitude of 3,700 m on the Red Hill (Marpo Ri) in the middle of the Lhasa valley. The total area of the complex is 360 thousand m² and consists of two parts: the Red Palace, as the center, and the White Palace, as two wings.
The heart of the complex is the Red Building (Potrang Marpo) - the highest part in the center. This part is entirely devoted to religious education and Buddhist prayers. The building consists of many halls, chapels and libraries on several levels with galleries and winding corridors. Richly decorated with paintings, gems and carvings, it contains several temples and tombs of eight past Dalai Lamas, including pagodas of 200,000 pearls.
Located here is the Great Western Hall with an area of 725 sq.m. is the largest hall in the Potala. The walls of the hall are decorated with beautiful frescoes and paintings. Three chapels surround it on three sides: in the east, in the north and in the south. The Dharma Caves and the holy chapel are the only 7th-century buildings with statues of Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wen Cheng and Princess Bhrikuti still standing inside.
The White Palace (Potrang Karpo) once served office building local government of Tibet and the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. White walls symbolize peace and tranquility. Great East Hall on the fourth floor with an area of 717 sq.m. was the site of important religious and political ceremonies.
There are also schools of Buddhist logic, a seminary, a printing house, gardens, courtyards and even a prison in the Potala. For over 300 years ancient palace houses many cultural relics such as frescoes, stupas, statues, tankas and rare sutras. Of particular importance is the Fa-Wana cave, in which, even before the construction of the building, King Songtsen Gampo read the sacred texts.
In Lhasa are also open to the public,.
The Potala Palace is open from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm in summer and from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in winter.
Cost: 100 yuan (about 11.7 €).
Excursions to the palace are limited, tickets are sold by advance requests (1 day in advance) after 17:00 the next day. In one hand give 4 tickets. Only by registering can you redeem an entrance ticket using your documents, where the time will be set for visiting the palace.
The structure, 320 m long and 110 m high, around which eagles soar, is divided into the White and Red Palaces. The Potala White Palace with a defensive base in its current form arose under the 5th Dalai Lama starting in 1645 with the participation of a large number serf workers. There is practically nothing left of the older fortress that existed on this mountain since the time of Songtsen Gampo (7th century) - although legend says that the meditation cave (see below) and the Phagpa hall are relics of that time. The White Palace contains rooms that perform purely practical functions, including sleeping quarters, study rooms and an audience hall for the Dalai Lama. In addition, the monastic tract, administrative premises and warehouses are located here. The most important shrines are located in the Red Palace, built under the regent of the 6th Dalai Lama until 1694. Since then, the appearance of the Potala has not changed much.
Inspection
The main entrance to the Potala Palace, through which the pilgrims go, leads up the other side of the fortress mountain (the so-called Red Mountain), which faces the Old City, to the eastern part of the White Palace. Tourists, as part of a booked program, are driven along the road from the west to the north side of the Red Palace, so that they enter the holy of holies, so to speak, through the back door. From there it is necessary to proceed along the route of inspection leading to all the important rooms with an unusually large number of magnificent works of art.
Great West Hall
The center of the Red Palace is the Great Western Hall, the enthronement hall. Its walls are decorated with murals depicting episodes from the life of the Dalai Lamas, Tibetan kings and the incarnations of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The four rooms surrounding the western hall can, based on their religious meaning, be considered the history of Tibetan Buddhism: the Padmasambhava hall tells about its origins; it is dedicated to that Indian saint who arrived in Tibet in the 8th century, subjugated the demons of the local religion and instructed them to stand guard over Buddhism from now on. The next room is the hall of the reformer Tsongkhapa, whose heir later became the 1st Dalai Lama. The third room is dedicated to him and his four subsequent incarnations. The fourth is fraught with tomb stupas with the bodies of the 5th, 10th and 12th Dalai Lamas. We are talking about 14-meter, richly gilded and jeweled pagodas with relics. The central stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama is the most luxurious decoration of the Potala. In similar caskets in the Red Palace, the mortal shells of eight Tibetan priest-kings are buried. Outside, their exact location is indicated by the gilded roofs of the Red Palace.
Top floor
Stairs in the northeast of the western hall lead through an intermediate floor with wall paintings, which, among other things, depict the construction of the Potala, to the upper floor with other significant halls and wonderful images. Here in the northeast corner is also the meditation hall of King Songtsen Gampo. This room with models of rocks, designed as a grotto, dates back to the founding of Lhasa and the origins of the Potala Palace, as well as Tibetan Buddhism in general. Plastically, the king is depicted between the thirty-eight-armed Avalokiteshvara and the 5th Dalai Lama; further on are the statues of the wives of Songtsen Gampo, Padmasambhava and others.
Phagpa Hall
The circular corridor leads further to the hall of the peaceful and wrathful gods, as well as to two halls full of many valuable metal sacrificial gifts. Above them is the Phagpa Hall. At the left entrance to it are footprints and hands allegedly left by Padmasambhava, Tsongkhapa and the 12th Dalai Lama. The main statues in the room are three statues of Avalokiteshvara made of sandalwood, which supposedly came out as natural formations from a split tree trunk; therefore, believers see in these figures a manifestation of the otherworldly, and, accordingly, great reverence is shown to them.
Stupa of the 13th Dalai Lama and private quarters
If you go to the left, you can reach the tomb stupa of the 13th Dalai Lama, who died in 1933. Next is the private quarters of the 6th Dalai Lama, a life-loving man who did not obey monastic vows and was subsequently allegedly killed. Amitayus, the Buddha of Longevity, is worshiped in this room today. The staircase leads to the attic floor with the Maitreya Hall, which houses the throne of the 8th Dalai Lama. From the roof platform opens beautiful view to the city. Further, a circular corridor leads to the private chambers of the 13th and 14th (current) Dalai Lamas. Since the latter fled from Tibet in 1959, the premises allotted to him have practically retained their original appearance. Through the courtyard and extremely luxurious portals, you can go to the stairs leading up on the south side of the palace and go down to the city. Opening hours: daily 9.30-12.00, 15.00-17.00.
