Potala Palace

Overview

Potala Palace is a former Buddhist palace and monastery complex in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Built on Red Mountain at about 3,700 metres above sea level, it was the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas, Tibetan Buddhist leaders, from the 17th century until 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile after Tibet's annexation by the People's Republic of China. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains an important Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage destination.

Present

Potala Palace is administered by the Chinese state. The palace was converted into a state museum in the 1980s, and both Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims and secular tourists now visit the site. It forms part of the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa, a UNESCO World Heritage property that also includes Jokhang Temple, the central temple of Tibetan Buddhism in Lhasa, and Norbulingka, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas. Tibetan Buddhist religious practice continues at the palace, but under state regulation. The 14th Dalai Lama has lived in exile in Dharamsala, in northern India, since 1959, and no Dalai Lama has resided in the Potala Palace since then.

Religious Significance

Potala Palace was the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas, whom Tibetan Buddhists regard as living manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva (enlightened being) of compassion. Tibetan tradition holds that the palace contains a cave where Avalokiteshvara dwelt, and where the 7th-century king Songtsen Gampo, regarded as his manifestation, meditated. Pilgrims venerate an image of Avalokiteshvara in the chapel of Phakpa Lhakhang and the gilded burial stupas (Buddhist reliquary monuments) of several Dalai Lamas.

History & Structure

Potala Palace stands on Red Mountain in Lhasa, where King Songtsen Gampo, the 7th-century Tibetan king, built the first palace. A widely told tradition holds that he built it for his Chinese bride, Princess Wencheng. That early palace was largely destroyed during civil wars in the 9th century. The present complex was begun in 1645 under the Fifth Dalai Lama and became the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas and the centre of Tibetan religious and political administration. The palace rises in two main sections: the White Palace, with former residential and administrative spaces, and the Red Palace, with chapels, assembly halls, libraries, and burial stupas. The 14th Dalai Lama fled the palace in 1959, after the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China, and the palace was opened as a state museum in the 1980s. UNESCO inscribed the Potala Palace in 1994, with Jokhang Temple added in 2000 and Norbulingka in 2001.

Resources

• UNESCO: Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa