Potala Palace

The Potala Palace, the landmark of Lhasa and a symbol of Tibet, towers on the Red Hill in the northwest of Lhasa. It is a group of grand fortress-style buildings.

The Potala was first built in the seventh century by the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo on taking his bride Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. Later, over half of the palace was devastated in warfare. The current Potala Palace consists of the Potrang Karpo (White Palace) built on its original site by the Fifth Dalai Lama, the Potrang Marpo (Red Palace) built after his death, and other buildings constructed subsequently. The Potala has undergone two major renovations and overhauls by the Chinese government (1989-1994 and 2002-2009 respectively), working on the principle of "repairing the old as the old,"and giving it a wholly fresh look to greet visitors. In 1994, UNESCO listed the Potala Palace on the World Cultural Heritage List.

The major structures of the 13-story Potala Palace are the White Palace in the east, the Red Palace in its central part and the white seminary quarters in the west; together with such subsidiary elements as the lection-printing hall at the foot of the hill and the rear garden, it occupies some 360,000 square meters. It towers majestically on the Red Hill, but the Potala's exquisite layout allows it to integrate perfectly with the slope.

Starting from the unmarked stele at the foot of the Red Hill, the winding uphill road leads you to the east gate, on which there is a huge mural of the Four Heavenly Guardians. Then, beyond the four-meter-long tunnel that penetrates the wall, you enter the Grand Hall. The winding uphill road is paved with cobbles of irregular size, exuding a rustic ancient feel. The floor within the hall is made of wood or rammed earth. One special aspect of the rammed earth in the Potala Palace is that the mixture for ramming is made by mixing crushed stones together with ghee (clarified butter). Usually the rammed-earth floor has to be polished with sheepskin and wax to maintain its glittery surface, very similar to a terrazzo floor. The structural walls are built of granite, but the upper walls are built of a special building material known as "Pema" grass, a plant found only around Lhasa. Walls built of this material are both heat-retaining and solid once they are dry. Equally importantly, its light weight puts less load on the wall base. Because the Potala's Buddha statues are all made of very weighty pure gold or silver, if heavy materials were used in the walls the load would be too much for the granite wall base.

The Red Palace is located at the center of the Potala Palace complex, and at the highest point. It houses various Buddha halls and the sacred gold stupas – the tombs of remains of eight successive Dalai Lamas from the fifth Dalai Lama to the 13th, the only exception being the sixth. Sassoon Namgyal, the highest hall of the Red Palace and of the Potala, enshrines a portrait of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), in front of which stands a memorial tablet inscribed "Long live the Emperor" written in Chinese, Tibetan, Manchu and Mongolian. The seventh Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatso (1708-1757) started the practice, subsequently followed by all Dalai Lamas, to come here in the dawn hours of the third day in the first month of the Tibetan calendar, to pay homage to the emperor, and thereby indicate allegiance.

Up to 1959 the White Palace, embracing the Red Palace, was the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. On the uppermost floor are the sleeping quarters for the Dalai – the "Sunlight Hall." Parts of the roof can be opened, permitting sunlight to pour in, and at night thick tent material was used to cover the openings. According to strict hierarchy, only high-ranking clerical and secular officials were allowed to enter the White Palace. The palace includes a very luxuriously appointed worship hall, scripture hall, study hall and bedrooms. To the west of the Red Palace is the seminary for monks serving the Potala, as many as 25,000 in the past. Since its outside walls are white, it usually is regarded as part of the White Palace.

From the mid-17th century up to 1959, the Potala was a place of huge importance: here a succession of Dalai Lamas lived and engaged in religious and political affairs; it was a place of grand religious and political ceremony. The Potala preserves a rich collection of historical relics, among them Sakyamuni's sarira, Pattra-leaf scriptures written with gold ink, gold and jade bestowals of title, gold Imperial Mandate, and the golden urn from Emperor Qianlong for selecting the Dalai-reincarnated child. The Potala is a crystallization of Tibetan knowledge and craftsmanship reflecting their religious faith, and a treasury of gold, silver and other precious things. Besides, the Potala also stores a huge collection of writings – Buddhist scriptures, medicine and astronomy are all represented. All these historical relics have a significant value to the study of Tibetan politics, economy, history and culture.