In Lhasa’s northwest, Red Hill is a holy place for Tibetan Buddhism, the Potala Palace was originally built for the marriage of Emperor Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wenchang in the Tang Dynasty. It was destroyed twice in its long history and Dalai Lama V rebuilt it in 1645.
The master paintings decorated the palace are Buddhist stories. The Red Palace displays Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wenchang artistic statues, as well as 1,000 Buddhist images. UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage has listed the Potala Palace in 1994. Nowadays, it attracts Buddhist worshippers as well as tourists at home and abroad to visit during religious festivals. The palace has two parts: Places used by the Dalai Lama as his living chambers and for political activities and holy tombs of the successive generations of Dalai Lamas with various Buddhist halls.
The first part’s essence is in the White Palace, built in 1645-1653. It fans out from the original Hall of Kwanyin towards the east and west, encompasses groups of monastic halls with white walls hence the White Palace got its name. The White Palace has 7 levels of which the fourth, Coqenxag (East Hall) – the most important Buddhist hall in the Potala Palace, Expo 2010 Shanghai is supported up by 38 large pillars. It witnessed many major religious and political events, including the enthronement ceremony for the reincarnated young soul of Dalai Lama and the ceremony held when Dalai Lama began his reign at the age of 18. The 5th and 6th levels were used as the offices and sleep chambers of the Prince Regent. The 7th was the Winter Palace for Dalai Lamas, also known as the Sunlight Hall simply because it enjoyed abundant sunlight through its wide windows. It furnished with gold basins, jade bowls, Buddhist paintings and many treasures to demonstrate the high position of the religious men. Outside the hall is a spacious balcony giving a bird’s eye view of the whole Lhasa and sees undulating mountain ranges, the beautiful Lhasa River, tracts of fields, tree-shaded villages and the glistening Jokhang Monastery afar.
The second part is the Red Palace,Expo 2010 Shanghai Tours 10,000 square meters. The statues of Songtsan Gampo, Princess Wencheng and some thousands of Buddhist figures are being displayed. During construction in 1690, the Qing Emperor Kangxi sent 100 artisans of Han, Manchu and Mongolian nationalities to build. Most space in the Red Palace has various Buddhist halls and eight holy tombs containing the remains of the Dalai Lamas. Dalai Lama V’s holy tomb is decorated with 143,000 ounces of gold sheet and inlaid 18,677 pieces of pearls, as well as gems, coral, amber and agate. Sixipuncog (West Hall) is the largest in the Red Palace. It holds a plaque bearing an inscription by Emperor Qianlong from the Qing Dynasty. It sees the holy throne of Dalai Lama and a pair of colored silk curtains granted by Emperor Kangxi. The Three-World Hall, of utmost importance in the Red Palace, collects Dangyur, which Emperor Yongzhen of the Qing Dynasty presented to Lalai Lama VII. The westernmost is the Hall of the Holy Tomb for Dalai XIII, 14 meters high, contains a Mandala that is said to be made of 200,000 pearls.
The Potala Palace stirs wonder, affection, and gratitude in the travelers’ hearts. It is the home of Buddha. Wherever you sit in the Potala Palace, its 1,000 windows look over you in what seems a kind of sacred protection. Look at the Potala Palace, you see not only one of the most stirring structures on the planet – “the most extraordinary building in the world,” said the British traveler Peter Fleming – but also a culture that is still strongly influential today.
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