The Potala Palace

The Potala Palace is the symbol of Lhasa, the regionalWhen the Red Palace was built in 1690, the Qing
capital of Tibet. Situated on Red Hill in northwest of theDynasty Emperor Kangxi recruited 100 artisans of the
city, the Potala Palace was originally built as theHan, Manchu and Mongolian nationalities to take part in
residence for the marriage of Emperor Songtsenthe construction. The majority of the Red Palace is
Gampo and Princess Wenchang in Tang Dynasty. Thetaken up with various Buddhist halls and eight holy
palace was destroyed twice in its history. In 1645, itstupas containing the remains of the Dalai Lamas. The
was rebuilt and expanded by Dalai Lama V. The entireholy stupa for the 5th Dalai Lama is wrapped inside
project took about half a century to complete.110,000 taels of gold sheet and inlaid with 18,677 pearls
The main architecture of the Potala Palace isand pieces of gems, coral, amber and agate.
composed of two parts: Places used by the DalaiSixipuncog, or the Western hall, is the largest hall in the
Lama as his living chambers and for political activities;Red Palace.
and holy stupas of the successive generations of DalaiThe hall covers 725 square meters, and holds a
Lamas and various Buddhist halls.plaque bearing an inscription by Emperor Qianlong of
The first part is the White Palace, built in 1645-1653. Itthe Qing Dynasty. Inside the hall is the holy throne of
has seven stories. The fourth story is the Coqenxagthe Dalai Lama and a pair of colored silk curtains
or the Eastern Hall, covers an area of 717 squaregranted by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. The
meters and is propped up by 38 large pillars. The fifthThree-World Hall, which is the highest in the Red
and sixth stories were used as the offices and livingPalace, holds the Beijing-edition Dangyur which
chambers of the Prince Regent. The seventh storyEmperor Yongzhen of the Qing Dynasty presented to
was the Winter Palace of the Dalai Lama. The hall isthe 7th Lalai Lama. The westernmost section of the
furnished with gold basins, jade bowls, BuddhistRed Palace is the Hall of the Holy Stupa for the 13th
paintings and many other treasures, accentuating theDalai Lama, built in 1933-1935. The hall, 14 meters high,
high position of the occupant. Outside the Sunlight Hallcontains a Mandala said to be made of 200,000 pearls.
is a spacious balcony offering a bird's-eye view of theIt is a sacred place for Tibetan Buddhism, the hall and
whole of Lhasa. In the distance are undulating mountaincorridors inside are decorated with master paintings,
ranges, the beautiful Lhasa River, tracts of fields,which are concerning Buddhist teachings and stories.
tree-shaded villages and the glistening JokhangThe Red Palace displays the artistic statues of
Monastery.Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wenchang, as well as
The second part is the Red Palace, occupies an area1000 Buddhist images. In 1994, the Potala Palace has
of 10,000 square meters, where the statues ofbeen listed by UNESCO as the World Cultural
Songtsan Gambor, Princess Wencheng and someHeritage.
thousands of Buddhist figures are placed for worship.