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Encyclopedia > Potala Palace
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party China
Type Cultural
Criteria i, iv, vi
Reference 707
Region Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 1994  (18th Session)
Extensions 2000; 2001
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Potala Palace (Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ; Wylie: Po ta la; simplified Chinese: 布达拉宫; traditional Chinese: 布達拉宮) is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara.[1] The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India after an invasion and failed uprising in 1959. Today the Potala Palace has been converted into a museum by the Chinese. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... PRC is a common abbreviation for: Peoples Republic of China Palestinian Red Crescent Popular Resistance Committees This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Asia, Australia and the Pacific (Australasia). ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating the Tibetan script using the keys on a typical English language typewriter. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... For other uses, see Lhasa (disambiguation). ... This article is about the administrative region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... AvalokiteÅ›vara or Avalokiteshvar, अवलोकितेश्वर (Sanskrit, lit. ... Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... (Redirected from 14th Dalai Lama) Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama. ... Dharamshala redirects here. ... The initial Peoples Republic of Chinas military invasion of Tibet in 1950 met with high resistance in the heart of the country. ...


The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes.[2] Thirteen stories of buildings -- containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues -- soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor.[3] Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors of Tibet." Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain (bla-ri) of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjushri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Chenresig or Avalokiteshvara.[4] The Chokbori behind the Potala Chokpori is a sacred hill in the city of Lhasa in Tibet. ... Mahachakra Vajrapani . Vajrapāṇi (from Sanskrit vajra, thunderbolt or diamond and pāṇi, lit. ... Statue of Manjusri (Monju) at Senkoji in Onomichi, Japan Mañjuśrī (文殊 Ch. ... AvalokiteÅ›vara or Avalokiteshvar, अवलोकितेश्वर (Sanskrit, lit. ... In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara or Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. ...

Contents

History

The former quarters of the Dalai Lama. The figure in the throne represents Tenzin Gyatso, the incumbent Dalai Lama

The site was used as a meditation retreat by King Songtsen Gampo, who in 637 built the first palace there in order to greet his bride Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty of China. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ... Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... A statue of Emperor Srong-rtsan Sgam-po in his meditation cave at Yerpa Songtsen Gampo (སྲོང་བཙན་སྒམ་པོ་ Wylie: Srong-btsan Sgam-po) (604–650 CE) was the thirty-third king of the Yarlung Dynasty of Tibet. ... The Chinese Princess Wen Cheng (or Tibetan: Mung-chang Kungco), was a niece of the powerful Emperor Taizong of Tang China, who left China in 640, according to records, arriving the next year in Tibet to marry the thirty-seven year old Songtsen Gampo (604–650 CE) the thirty-third... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...


Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the Potala Palace in 1645[5] after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (d. 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa.[6] The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649.[7] Construction lasted until 1694,[8] some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694.[9] Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, (1617-1682), is one of only two Dalai Lamas formally titled Great. He initiated the construction of the fabulous Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. ... // Events January 10 - Archbishop Laud executed on Tower Hill, London. ... Drepung monastery Drepung Monastery is one of the great three Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. ... SERA can be an abbreviation of either of the following: Strengthening Emergency Response Abilities (SERA) Project or simply Strengthening Emergency Response Abilities Project (Ethiopia) Southern Education and Research Alliance (South Africa) Socialist Environment and Resources Association (United Kingdom) Suburban Electric Railway Association (or SERA), based at Coventry Railway Centre, Warwickshire... Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. ...

"The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the God of Mercy, whom the Indians call Avalokitesvara and the Tibetans worship as Chenrezi. The Tibetans themselves rarely speak of the sacred place as the "Potala," but rather as "Peak Potala" (Tse Potala), or usually as "the Peak."[10]

The palace was slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese in 1959, when Chinese shells were launched into the palace's windows. It also escaped damage during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 through the personal intervention of Zhou Enlai[11], who was then the Premier of the People's Republic of China but who personally opposed the revolution. Still, almost all of the over 100,000 volumes of scriptures, historical documents and other works of art were either removed, damaged or destroyed.[12] Kanyakumari is a town and a cape at the southernmost tip of the Indian peninsula. ... Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ... This article is about the Peoples Republic of China. ... Zhou Enlai (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou En-lai) (March 5, 1898 – January 8, 1976), a prominent Communist Party of China leader, was Premier of the Peoples Republic of China from 1949 until his death in January 1976, and Chinas foreign minister from 1949... The Premier ( Chinese: 总理 pinyin: zŏnglĭ), sometimes referred to as the Prime Minister, is the Chairman of the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China and head of Central Peoples Government. ...


The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 2000 and 2001, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka were added to the list as extensions to the sites. Rapid modernisation has been a concern for UNESCO, however, which expressed concern over the building of modern structures immediately around the palace which threaten the palace's unique atmosphere[13]. The Chinese government responded by enacting a rule barring the building of any structure taller than 21 metres in the area. UNESCO was also concerned over the materials used during the restoration of the palace, which commenced in 2002 at a cost of RMB180 million (US$22.5 million), although the palace's director, Qiangba Gesang, has clarified that only traditional materials and craftsmanship were used. The palace has also received restoration works between 1989 to 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$6.875 million). UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to: Jokhang Categories: Buddhism-related stubs | Buddhist temples ... Norbulingka (Wylie: Nor-bu-gling-ka) is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet which served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the PRC takeover in the late 1950s. ...


Daily visitorship to the palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day[14]. Visits to the structure's roof was banned after restoration works were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage[15]. Visitorship quotas were raied to 2,300 daily to accommodate a 30% increase in visitorship since the opening of the Qingzang railway into Lhasa on 1 July 2006, but the quota is often reached by mid-morning[16]. Opening hours were extended during the peak period in the months of July to September, where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site[17]. is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of the railway The worlds highest railway, which traverses the vast terrain of Tibet. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


Architecture

Built at an altitude of 3,700 m (12,100 ft), on the side of Marpo Ri ('Red Mountain') in the center of Lhasa Valley,[18] the Potala Palace, with its vast inward-sloping walls broken only in the upper parts by straight rows of many windows, and its flat roofs at various levels, is not unlike a fortress in appearance. At the south base of the rock is a large space enclosed by walls and gates, with great porticos on the inner side. A series of tolerably easy staircases, broken by intervals of gentle ascent, leads to the summit of the rock. The whole width of this is occupied by the palace. ImageMetadata File history File links Potala_from_W.jpg Photographer: Philipp Roelli (2005) released under the GFDL by creator Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Potala_from_W.jpg Photographer: Philipp Roelli (2005) released under the GFDL by creator Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Categories: Architectural elements | Stub ...


The central part of this group of buildings rises in a vast quadrangular mass above its satellites to a great height, terminating in gilt canopies similar to those on the Jokhang. This central member of Potala is called the "red palace" from its crimson colour, which distinguishes it from the rest. It contains the principal halls and chapels and shrines of past Dalai Lamas. There is in these much rich decorative painting, with jewelled work, carving and other ornament. The Jokhang Temple, home of the most venerated statue in Tibet a golden roof cylinder The Jokhang, also called the Jokhang Temple or the Jokhang Monastery, is a famous Buddhist temple in Lhasa, Tibet. ...


The Chinese Putuo Zongcheng Temple, built between 1767 and 1771, was modeled after the Potala Palace. It was named by the American television show Good Morning America and newspaper USA Today as one of the "New Seven Wonders".[19] The Putuo Zongcheng Temple of Chengde, built in the 18th century during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. ... Good Morning America is a weekday morning news show that is broadcast on the ABC television network. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... For other uses, see Wonders of the World (disambiguation). ...


The Potrang Karpo or 'White Palace'

The White Palace.

The White Palace is the part of the Potala Palace that makes up the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. The first White Palace was built during the lifetime of the Fifth Dalai Lama and he and his government moved into it in 1649.[20] It then was extended to its size today by the thirteenth Dalai Lama in the early twentieth century. The palace was for secular uses and contained the living quarters, offices, the seminary and the printing house. A central, yellow-painted courtyard known as a Deyangshar separates the living quarters of the Lama and his monks with the Red Palace, the other side of the sacred Potala, which is completely devoted to religious study and prayer. It contains the sacred gold stupas—the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas—the monks' assembly hall, numerous chapels and shrines, and libraries for the important Buddhist scriptures, the Kangyur in 108 volumes and the Tengyur with 225. The yellow building at the side of the White Palace in the courtyard between the main palaces houses giant banners embroidered with holy symbols which hung across the south face of the Potala during New Year festivals. ImageMetadata File history File links White_Palace_of_the_Potala. ... ImageMetadata File history File links White_Palace_of_the_Potala. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, (1617-1682), is one of only two Dalai Lamas formally titled Great. He initiated the construction of the fabulous Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. ... The 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso (Tibetan: ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་) (born February 12, 1876; died December 17, 1933), also spelled Thupten Gyatso, was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... The Kangyur are a collection of Sanskrit classics that date back to the times of Buddha. ... The Tengyur (Wylie: Bstan-gyur is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or Translated Treatises. The Bejing version covers 3626 texts in 224 volumes, but numbers vary depending on the version. ...


The Potrang Marpo or 'Red Palace'

The Red Palace.

The Red Palace is part of the Potala palace that is completely devoted to religious study and Buddhist prayer. It consists of a complicated layout of many different halls, chapels and libraries on many different levels with a complex array of smaller galleries and winding passages: ImageMetadata File history File links Potala_through_foilage. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Potala_through_foilage. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...


The Great West Hall

A Dhvaja on the roof

The main central hall of the Red Palace is the Great West Hall which consists of four great chapels that proclaim the glory and power of the builder of the Potala, the Fifth Dalai Lama. The hall is noted for its fine murals reminiscent of Persian miniatures, depicting events in the fifth Dalai Lama's life. The famous scene of his visit to Emperor Shun Zhi in Beijing is located on the east wall outside the entrance. Special cloth from Bhutan wraps the Hall's numerous columns and pillars. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 444 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (521 × 704 pixel, file size: 43 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author and photography: Kosi Gramatikoff (Tibet 2005), Dhvaja (Victory banner), Roof of Potala Palace. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 444 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (521 × 704 pixel, file size: 43 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Author and photography: Kosi Gramatikoff (Tibet 2005), Dhvaja (Victory banner), Roof of Potala Palace. ... Dhvaja (Victory banner) - pole design with silk scarfs, on the background the Potala Palace Dhvaja (Skt. ... Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, (1617-1682), is one of only two Dalai Lamas formally titled Great. He initiated the construction of the fabulous Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. ... A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. ... An emperorrefers to Nick Herringshaw, a title, empress may only indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort. ... Peking redirects here. ...


The Saint's Chapel

On the north side of this hall in the Red Palace is the holiest shrine of the Potala. A large blue and gold inscription over the door was written by the 19th century Tongzhi Emperor of China. proclaiming Buddhism a Blessed Field of Wonderful Fruit. This chapel like the Dharma cave below it dates from the seventh century. It contains a small ancient jewel encrusted statue of Avalokiteshvara and two of his attendants. On the floor below, a low, dark passage leads into the Dharma Cave where Songsten Gampo is believed to have studied Buddhism. In the holy cave are images of Songsten Gampo, his wives, his chief minister and Sambhota, the scholar who developed Tibetan writing in the company of his many divinities. Shrine is also used as a conventional translation of the Japanese Jinja. ... The Tong Zhi Emperor, born Zai Chun (April 27, 1856–January 12, 1875) was the tenth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. ... A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India. ... For other uses, see Gemstone (disambiguation). ... In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara or Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. ... King Songsten Gampos statue in his meditation cave at Yerpa Songtsen Gampo (617-650) is the 33rd king of the Yarlung Dynasty of Tibet. ... A statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tawang Gompa, India. ...


The North Chapel

Snow Lions protect the entrance to the Potala Palace

The North Chapel centres on a crowned Sakyamuni Buddha on the left and the Fifth Dalai Lama on the right seated on magnificent gold thrones. Their equal height and shared aura implies equal status. On the far left of the chapel is the gold stupa tomb of the Eleventh Dalai Lama who died as a child, with rows of benign Medicine Buddhas who were the heavenly healers. On the right of the chapel are Avalokiteshvara and his historical incarnations including Songsten Gampo and the first four Dalai Lamas. Scriptures covered in silk between wooden covers form a specialized library in a room branching off it. Download high resolution version (442x643, 76 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (442x643, 76 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE. Gautama Buddha was a South Asian spiritual leader who lived between approximately 563 BCE and 483 BCE. Born Siddhartha Gautama in Sanskrit, a name meaning descendant of Gotama whose aims are achieved/who is efficacious in achieving aims, he... Media:Example. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... The Great Stupa at Sanchi. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara or Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. ... King Songsten Gampos statue in his meditation cave at Yerpa Songtsen Gampo (617-650) is the 33rd king of the Yarlung Dynasty of Tibet. ...

The outer walls of the Red Palace.

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 114 KB) Photographer: Philipp Roelli (2005) released under the GFDL by creator Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (600x800, 114 KB) Photographer: Philipp Roelli (2005) released under the GFDL by creator Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...

The South Chapel

The South Chapel centres on Padmasambhava, the 8th century Indian magician and saint. His consort Yeshe Tsogyal, a gift from the King is by his left knee and his other wife from his native land of Swat is by his right. On his left, eight of his holy manifestations meditate with an inturned gaze. On his right, eight wrathful manifestations wield instruments of magic powers to subdue the demons of the Bön faith. Guru Rinpoche - Padmasambhava statue - near Kullu, India Guru Rinpoche, the patron saint of Sikkim. ... John Dee and Edward Kelley evoking a spirit: Elizabethans who claimed magical knowledge A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, which can be described as either the act of entertaining with tricks that are in apparent violation of natural law, such as those... Saints redirects here. ... Yeshe Tsogyel (IPA: , rhymes with may say so well), also known in the Nyingma tradition as the Great Bliss Queen, is a semi-mythical female deity or figure of enlightenment (dakini) in Tibetan Buddhism. ... The State of Swat was a princely state which existed in the north of the modern North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan until it was dissolved in 1969. ... Meditation usually refers to a state of extreme relaxation and concentration, in which the body is generally at rest and the mind quieted of surface thoughts. ... The demon Satan In folklore, mythology, and religion, a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as an evil spirit, but is also depicted to be good in some instances. ... Bön[1] (Tibetan: བོན་; Wylie: bon; Lhasa dialect IPA: [) is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. ... For other uses, see Faith (disambiguation). ...


The East Chapel

The East chapel is dedicated to Tsong Khapa, founder of the Gelug tradition. His central figure is surrounded by lamas from Sakya Monastery who had briefly ruled Tibet and formed their own tradition until converted by Tsong Khapa. Other statues are displayed made of various different materials and display noble expressions. Je Tsongkhapa (Btsong-kha-pa) in the fifth vison of Khedrub Jey (Mkhas-grub) Tsongkhapa (Wylie transliteration: Btsong-kha-pa) (1357 - 1419) , whose name means The Man from Onion Valley, also known as Je Rinpoche (Rje Rin-bo-che) and by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa (Blo-bzang Grags-pa... The Geluk (dge lugs) School was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), Tibets best known religious reformer and arguably its greatest philosopher. ... Sakya Monastery is an important old Buddhist monastery of the Sakya school 128 kilometres west of Shigatse in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. ... This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ...


The West Chapel

This is the chapel that contains the five golden stupas. The enormous central stupa, 14.85 metres (49 ft) high, contains the mummified body of the Fifth Dalai Lama. This stupa is built of sandalwood and is remarkably coated in 3,727 kg (8,200 lb) of solid gold and studded with 18,680 pearls and semi-precious jewels.[21] On the left is the funeral stupa for the Twelfth Dalai Lama and on the right that of the Tenth Dalai Lama. The nearby stupa for the 13th Dalai Lama is 22 metres (72 ft) high. The stupas on both ends contain important scriptures.[22] A stupa A stupa (from the Sanskrit) is a type of Buddhist structure found across the Indian subcontinent and Asia. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ...


The First Gallery

The quiet and peaceful park, pond, and chapel behind the Potala

The first gallery is on the floor above the West chapel and has a number of large windows that give light and ventilation to the Great West Hall and its chapels below. Between the windows, superb murals show the Potala's construction is fine detail. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. ...


The Second Gallery

The Second Gallery gives access to the central pavilion which is used for visitors to the palace for refreshments and to buy souvenirs.


The Third Gallery

The Third Gallery besides fine murals has a number of dark rooms branching off it containing enormous collections of bronze statues and miniature figures made of copper and gold worth a fortune. The chanting hall of the Seventh Dalai Lama is on the south side and on the east an entrance connects the section to the Saints chapel and the Deyangshar between the two palaces. This article is about the metal alloy. ... Kelzang Gyatso (Wylie: Bskal-bzang Rgya-mtsho) (1708 – 1757), also spelled Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso was the 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet. ... A courtyard of a monastery Deyangshar is the name given to the central open courtyard of a monastery in Tibet and parts of Myanmar where it is used for ceremonies, burning incense and prayer and to divide the living quarters from the temples of Buddhist prayer and study. ...

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 554 pixelsFull resolution (2772 × 1920 pixel, file size: 429 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 554 pixelsFull resolution (2772 × 1920 pixel, file size: 429 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

The Tomb of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama

The tomb of the 13th Dalai Lama is located west of the Great West Hall and it can only be reached from an upper floor and with the company of a monk or a guide of the Potala. Built in 1933, the giant stupa contains priceless jewels and one ton of solid gold. It is 14 metres (46 feet) high. Devotional offerings include elephant tusks from India, porcelain lions and vases and a pagoda made from over 200,000 pearls. Elaborate murals in traditional Tibetan styles depict many events of the life of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama during the early 20th century. The 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso (Tibetan: ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་) (born February 12, 1876; died December 17, 1933), also spelled Thupten Gyatso, was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet. ... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... The Great Stupa at Sanchi. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... Pacific Walrus at Cape Peirce A tusk is an extremely long tooth of certain mammals that protrudes when the mouth is closed. ... “Fine China” redirects here. ... A pagoda at Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia This article is about the building style. ... A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. ... The 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso (Tibetan: ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་) (born February 12, 1876; died December 17, 1933), also spelled Thupten Gyatso, was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet. ...

View of the Potala from the side
The rooftop of the Potala
Mendicant monk at base of Potala, 1993

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 562 pixelsFull resolution (1464 × 1029 pixel, file size: 127 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 562 pixelsFull resolution (1464 × 1029 pixel, file size: 127 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 800 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo by Nathan Freitas source File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Potala... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 800 pixel, file size: 75 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Photo by Nathan Freitas source File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Potala... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 395 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1821 pixel, file size: 495 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 395 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1821 pixel, file size: 495 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The term mendicant refers to begging or otherwise relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely exclusively on charity to survive. ...

See also

Norbulingka (Wylie: Nor-bu-gling-ka) is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet which served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the PRC takeover in the late 1950s. ... The Jokhang Temple, home of the most venerated statue in Tibet a golden stupa The Jokhang, also called the Jokhang Temple or the Jokhang Monastery, is a famous Buddhist temple in Lhasa, Tibet. ... Dhvaja (Victory banner) - pole design with silk scarfs, on the background the Potala Palace Dhvaja (Skt. ... Kundun is a 1997 film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese, both of whom (along with several other members of the production) were banned by the Chinese Government from ever entering Tibet as a result of making the film. ... For the 1997 film, see Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film). ...

Footnotes

  1. ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84
  2. ^ Booz, Elisabeth B. (1986). Tibet, pp. 62-63. Passport Books, Hong Kong.
  3. ^ Buckley, Michael and Strausss, Robert. Tibet: a travel survival kit, p. 131. Lonely Planet. South Yarra, Vic., Australia. ISBN 0-908086-88-1.
  4. ^ Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, p. 228. Translated by J. E. Stapleton Driver. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (paper).
  5. ^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 175. Grove Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.
  6. ^ Karmay, Samten C. (2005). "The Great Fifth", p. 1. Downloaded as a pdf file on 16th December, 2007 from: [1]
  7. ^ Karmay, Samten C. (2005). "The Great Fifth", p. 1. Downloaded as a pdf file on 16th December, 2007 from: [2]
  8. ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84.
  9. ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84.
  10. ^ Lowell Thomas, Jr. (1951). Out of this World: Across the Himalayas to Tibet. Reprint: 1952, p. 181. Macdonald & Co., London
  11. ^ http://www.potalarestaurante.com/potala.php
  12. ^ Decline of Potala par Oser
  13. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6920782.stm
  14. ^ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-08/15/content_255095.htm
  15. ^ http://english.gov.cn/2005-11/04/content_91537.htm
  16. ^ http://english.gov.cn/2006-07/28/content_348907.htm
  17. ^ http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/gyzg/t316250.htm
  18. ^ Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 206
  19. ^ ABC Good Morning America "7 New Wonders" Page
  20. ^ Karmay, Samten C. (2005). "The Great Fifth", p. 1. Downloaded as a pdf file on 16th December, 2007 from: in the 1650s.[3]
  21. ^ Chorten of the fifth Dalai Lama in the Potala Palace in Lhasa of Tibet Autonomous Region
  22. ^ Buckley, Michael and Strausss, Robert. Tibet: a travel survival kit, p. 131. Lonely Planet. South Yarra, Vic., Australia. ISBN 0-908086-88-1.

References

  • "Reading the Potala." Peter Bishop. In: Sacred Spaces and Powerful Places In Tibetan Culture: A Collection of Essays. (1999) Edited by Toni Huber, pp. 367-388. The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, H.P., India. ISBN 81-86470-22-0.
  • Das, Sarat Chandra. Lhasa and Central Tibet. (1902). Edited by W. W. Rockhill. Reprint: Mehra Offset Press, Delhi (1988), pp. 145-146; 166-169; 262-263 and illustration opposite p. 154.
  • This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the eleventh edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External links

The Potala Palace from the south-east.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Coordinates: 29°39′28″N, 91°07′01″E Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... For other uses, see Lhasa (disambiguation). ... Lhünzhub is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Damxung is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Nyêmo is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Qüxü is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Doilungdêqên is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Dagzê is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... Maizhokunggar is a county of the Tibetan city of Lhasa. ... For other uses, see Lhasa (disambiguation). ... When referring to Political Divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 (Simplified 镇) (zhèn; Wade-Giles chen4). ... When referring to Political Divisions of China, township is the standard English translation of the Chinese 乡 (xiāng). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x960, 314 KB) Description: Maps of Tibet Autonomous Region of China Source: Date: On October 10 2005 Author: Photo taken by Fanghong Permission: Other versions of this file: File links The following pages link to this file: Lhasa ... For other uses, see Lhasa (disambiguation). ... Barkhor Square and Jokhang Temple The Barkhor (Tibetan: བར་སྐོར་; Wylie: bar-skor; ZWPY: Pargor; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is an area of narrow streets and a public square located around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet. ... The path led past the Potala to a pond Lingkhor in Tibet is a sacred path, most commonly used to name the outer pilgrim road in Lhasa matching its inner twin Barkhor. ... Norbulingka (Wylie: Nor-bu-gling-ka) is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet which served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the PRC takeover in the late 1950s. ... Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to: Jokhang Categories: Buddhism-related stubs | Buddhist temples ... Ganden monastery Ganden Monastery is one of the great three Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located on Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 47 kilometers from Lhasa. ... Sera Monastery is one of the great three Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. ... Lhasa Gonggar Airport is an airport in Lhasa, Tibet, People’s Republic of China (IATA: LXA, ICAO: ZULS). ... Lhasa railway station (Traditional Chinese: 拉薩站; Simplified Chinese: 拉萨站; pinyin: lā sà zhàn) is a railway station in Lhasa, Tibet. ... The Chokbori behind the Potala Chokpori is a sacred hill in the city of Lhasa in Tibet. ... Drepung monastery Drepung Monastery (Tibetan: འབྲས་སྤུངས་; Wylie: Bras-spungs; ZWPY: Zhaibung) is one of the great three Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet. ... Ramoche Temple (Tibetan: ར་མོ་ཆེ་དགོན་པ་; Wylie: Ra-mo-che Dgon-pa; Lhasa dialect IPA: [) is a Buddhist monastery is considered the most important temple in Lhasa after the Potala. ... Sanga (Sangha) Monastery - front view. ... Tibet University (Tibetan: Poijong Lobcha Qênmo བོད་ལྗོངས་སློབ་གྲྭ་ཆེན་མོ་; Chinese: XÄ«zàng dàxué 西藏大学) is the main university of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. ... Yangbajain is a town approximately 87 kilometers (54 miles) north-west of Lhasa, halfway to Damxung in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. ... A dated image of the prison Drapchi Prison, known in Chinese as Di Yi Jianyu-No 1. ... This article is about the Dalai Lama lineage. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
RAIDER.PLANET-TIBET (424 words)
Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed.
The Potala Palace is an immense structure, its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters.
The palace is divided into the "white palace," which is primarily used for administrative and residential purposes, and the "red palace," which houses the important spiritual areas.
Potala Palace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1521 words)
The Potala Palace (Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ; Wylie: Po ta la, Traditional Chinese: 布達拉宮, Simplified Chinese: 布达拉宫, pinyin: Bùdálā Gōng), located in Lhasa, Tibet, was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India after a failed uprising in 1959.
The first White Palace was built during the lifetime of the fifth Dalai Lama in the 1650s then was extended to its size today by the thirteenth Dalai Lama in the early twentieth century.
On the north side of this hall in the Red Palace is the holiest shrine of the Potala.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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