Where is the Potala Palace located? Potala Palace - the priceless treasure of Tibet
Tibet, Lhasa (which in Sanskrit means "land of the gods"), the ledge of the Marproi rock ("Red Hill") - it is here, above the sacred city, that the palace called the Potala rises. It was built specifically for the spiritual and political ruler of Tibet, the founder of Lamaism, the Dalai Lama V (1617 - 1682).
The building of the palace seems to be an impregnable rock. It is hard to imagine, but this building, which has more than 30 floors, was built in 1694, when high-rise buildings were not built. At one time, it was perhaps perceived in the same way as skyscrapers are today.
The Potala Palace, towering over the whole city, impresses even the sophisticated person of the 21st century with its appearance. The building on a ledge of a cliff with countless windows carved into the snow-white wall creates a feeling of something majestic and almost fabulous.
Location:
Tibet is perhaps the most mysterious country on our planet. The policy of self-isolation used to be characteristic of many Asian countries, but only Tibet embodies it to this day. This, of course, is facilitated by the unique geographical position. Major Tibetan cities are located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, and some more than 4,000. Steep passes and rarefied air make traveling to Tibet very difficult.
The city of Lhasa was erected in a sparse airspace Himalayas, at an altitude of more than 3,650 meters. Until the Chinese occupation in 1951, the monks made up the majority of the population here.
The main building of Tibet is the Potala Palace. This huge building is clearly visible from afar from different parts of the city and especially well - from the top of the Chagpo Ri hill. Being in Lhasa, you catch yourself thinking that it is impossible to take your eyes off this building. Potala is located at 3,700 meters above sea level, its height is 115 meters, total area over 130,000 square meters. There is no exact data on how many rooms and halls are in the Potala. Their number is "somewhere over a thousand," as the guides say. Until now, not a single person had ever walked around all the rooms in this palace.
Story:
The name "Potala" comes from a Sanskrit word that means "mountain of the Buddha". On this site in the 7th century AD stood the palace of Song-sten Gampu, dedicated to the Buddhist ruler of Tibet.
Centuries later, in 1645, the Dalai Lama V, who is also the ruler of Tibet, ordered the construction of a palace on the site of the ruined residence. The construction of the first, lower part of the Potala - the White Palace (Potrang Karpo) began. The nine-storey structure of the upper part was completed 3 years later. In 1649, the Fifth Dalai Lama moves from Drepung to his new residence.
The circumstances of the construction of the upper Red Palace (Potrang Marpi), the second, larger building, remain the subject of much controversy to this day. When the Dalai Lama died in 1682, construction had not yet been completed. The death of the Dalai Lama was hushed up until 1694, when, finally, the palace was built. According to some reports, the Red Palace was conceived as a mausoleum.
The thirteenth Dalai Lama undertook some renovation work in the early 20th century, removing some sections of the White Palace in order to expand some of the chapels. Until the 1950s, the palace remained the seat of the Tibetan government.
The Potala came under fire during a popular uprising against the Chinese in 1959. Luckily, the damage was negligible both during the uprising and in the following years of the Cultural Revolution.
The palace remained the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas until 1959, when the current 14th Dalai Lama emigrated to India. For many years after the Chinese occupation, the palace was closed to the public, and only in 1980 it was reopened. In 1985, the last restoration work was completed, for which about 4 million dollars were spent.
Peculiarities:
The palace was built from earth, stone and wood using the most elementary means. All building materials people delivered on themselves or on donkeys. It is not difficult to guess that the work was extremely difficult.
To get inside the palace, shaped like a truncated pyramid or trapezoid, you need to go through a wide area located on all sides of the building. Only after passing through them you can approach the slope, over the entire surface of which there are many zigzag staircases connecting all parts of the palace.
Potala Palace is divided into two parts - Pozhanggabo and Pozhangmabo (Red and white palace). Pozhangabo is the place where the Dalai Lama's private quarters are located and solemn ritual ceremonies are held. Pozhangmabo is the abode of monks and servants. Buddhist halls and burial pagodas-stupas are located here.
In the main part of the building were built government offices, rooms for staff, consisting exclusively of monks, and a monastic school. Previously, there were also meditation rooms, libraries, armories, granaries, storerooms, torture chambers and a punishment cell.
Inside the building there are more than 1,000 different rooms, where 10,000 shrines and at least 20,000 statues are hidden. Numerous chapels and shrines are filled with statues, silk-embroidered paintings, incense vessels, and other ritual objects. The roofs of the palace covered with gold, granite walls, graceful cornices with gilded decorations give architectural ensemble splendor and grandeur.
One of the main attractions of the palace is the many frescoes depicting various everyday and ritual scenes. Some of the frescoes for a long time were not available for public viewing. Only at the end of the 90s they were hung in the halls, and now they can be seen by all the pilgrims and tourists who came to the Potala.
Many of the frescoes depict the twelve-armed god Avalokitereshvara and his wife, the goddess Tara. The fact is that these deities are considered the main patrons of Tibet. Tibetan craftsmen used agate, amber, gold and silver powder to make these frescoes.
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Hidden from worldly bustle and noise by a ridge of the most high mountains the globe Tibet has been attracting travelers since ancient times. This is one of ancient states world with its unusual charter and orders, richest history and cultural heritage. And it is not surprising that it is in Tibet that the highest castle complex in the world is located - the Potala Palace. It got its name in the 11th century thanks to the mountain on which it is located. It is called Puto, according to legend, it was here that the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara first appeared, who is considered the embodiment of the great compassion of all the enlightened (Buddhas).
The history of the construction of the palace
For the first time, the Potala Palace was erected in the second half of the 7th century at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level by the Tufan ruler Srontszangamp as the main imperial residence for him and his new wife, Princess Wencheng. Before that, caves for meditation were already located here. The entire palace complex, consisting of a thousand halls and rooms, was surrounded by a high fortress wall, and it was possible to enter it through four gates.
During a severe thunderstorm, most of the wooden buildings of the palace were incinerated by lightning.
Only in the middle of the 17th century, the Dalai Lama V Agwan Lobsan Jamtso decided to completely restore the former grandeur of the palace. The result was a grandiose complex with courtyards, wide stone stairs, chapels, enclosed by high walls and occupying an area of about three hundred and sixty thousand square meters.
Architecture and interiors
This reconstruction involved about seven thousand builders and another fifteen hundred sculptors and artists who created unique statues and sculptural compositions. The central place among them is occupied by the Potala statue, completely covered with gold and weighing half a ton. In addition, silver, precious stones and valuable wood were widely used in the construction and decoration of the palace.
The fact that the Potala Palace is one of the main symbols of Tibet, a treasury of the country's cultural and spiritual heritage, as well as the greatest architectural monument of the region, contributed to the fact that in 1994 this complex was included in the World Heritage List. cultural heritage UNESCO. Today it is the residence of the Dalai Lama, the site of the most important religious rites and one of the most interesting museums peace.
How to visit
The palace is open for tourists from 9:00 to 17:00, and in the summer months from 7:30. A little more than two thousand people can see it a day, mostly groups of tourists who bought tickets in advance. As a rule, they sell out immediately after closing. entry tickets the next day, they cost about 11 dollars per person (June 2012).
The Potala Palace is a huge religious and administrative complex in Lhasa, autonomous region southern Tibet, China. It is located on Mar Po-ri (Red Mountain), 130 meters above the Lhasa river valley and rises abruptly from its rocky base.
The Potrang Karpo (White Palace), completed in 1648, once served as the seat of the Tibetan government and the main residence of the Dalai Lama; since the middle of the 18th century it has been used as Winter Palace. The Potrang Marpo (Red Palace), built in 1694, contains several chapels, sacred statues, and the tombs of the eight Dalai Lamas; it remains a major pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists.
Story
The Tibetan king Sron-brtsan-sgam-po commissioned the construction of a palace in Lhasa in the 7th century. Significantly smaller and less complex than its 13 km2 successor, it has been called the Potala ("Pure Land" or "High Heavenly Realm") for reasons that are not historically documented, although Mount Potala in India seems to be a likely source. Tibetan Buddhists recognize the Dalai Lama as the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guanyin), a bodhisattva whose home was on Mount Potala.
Subsequently, the palace was destroyed, and in 1645 the fifth Dalai Lama ordered the construction of a new castle that could ensure his role as both a religious and state leader. Lhasa has been re-selected as a place of pilgrimage due to its importance and proximity to three major Buddhist monasteries: Sera, Drepung and Ganden. The new Potala Palace was built on Mar-po-ri for the security provided by the elevated position. Up until the middle of the 18th century, the Potala was a major Tibetan military stronghold.
Of the more than 1,000 rooms in the Potala, the holiest are Chogyal Drubhuk and Fakpa Lhakhang, remnants of the original Sron-brtsan-sgam-po palace; the latter contains the sacred statue of Arya Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara). The sacred complex contains over 200,000 statues and 10,000 altars. Its value was recognized by the Chinese Cultural Relics Commission and the palace was saved during the Cultural Revolution.
As a symbol of Tibet, the Potala Palace has many things to see, the architecture of the entire structure, magnificent well-preserved artworks, and various kinds of religious treasures.
Tibetan architecture
The Potala Palace is one of the most striking architectural structures standing on a steep hill. With a majestic exterior of 13 tiers with a total height of 117 meters, the entire palace was built of wood and stones. The walls were lined with granite 2-5 meters thick.
The roof and cornices are made of wood with beautiful Buddhist carvings. The palace can be divided into two main parts: the White Palace around and the Red Palace in the center. The White Palace was the residential quarter of the Dalai Lama and an office for political and Buddhist affairs. And the Red Palace is the main building, consisting of an intricate layout of various Buddhist halls, chapels and libraries.
Magnificent Works of Art
Inside the majestic palace is real treasure magnificent works of art. The most outstanding art is the 698 murals on the walls and along the corridors, which describe some of the important events that happened during Tibetan history, such as Princess Wencheng in Tibet, and the life stories of famous Buddhist masters, such as the 5th Dalai Lama.
In addition to wall frescoes, you can also find here a large number of exquisite paintings on silk, fabric or paper, framed in colored satin, which mainly tell about the history of Tibet, religious figures and Buddhist teachings. In addition, there are many types of handicrafts that give an opportunity to present Tibetan local life.
Religious Treasures
The Potala Palace is one of the most sacred buildings in Tibetan Buddhism. This is the palace of the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama. In ancient times, the Potala opened a Buddhist school to teach Buddhism. More importantly, the Potala Palace houses many stupas of past Dalai Lamas.
Both the Red Palace and the White Palace have many valuable statues, especially the 2m high Tsong Hapa statue (in the East Chapel), the silver statue of Padmasambhava (in the South Chapel) and the statues of Sakyamuni, the Dalai Lama and the Medicine Buddha (in the North Chapel).
In 1994, the Potala Palace was listed world heritage UNESCO. Two other sites - Tsuglagkhang Temple (Jokkhang), one of the most sacred sites in Tibetan Buddhism, and Norbuglingka (Precious Palace), the Dalai Lama's former summer residence - were added to World Heritage Sites in 2000 and 2001, respectively.
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Potala Palace(named after the Potala, the so-called Pure Land of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara) is a worldwide famous palace in the city of Lhasa, which was official residence The Dalai Lamas in the Era of the Central Tibetan Government Ganden Potrang (from 1642 to 1959). The huge palace is located on Mount Marpori (translated from Tibetan as “Red Mountain”) and rises 130 meters above the center of the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The construction of the original building of the palace on Red Mountain was begun in 637 by King Songtsen Gampo, who ordered it to be built in Lhasa for his wife Wen Chen (Wen Cheng). The building was completed in 641. In the 8th century, it was almost completely destroyed by Chinese troops.
In the 17th century, the 5th Dalai Lama ordered the construction of a new palace on the mountain. At the same time, ruins left over from the time of Songtsen Gampo were integrated into its design. The construction of the first part (Potrang Karpo, i.e. "White Palace") of the current Potala Palace was completed in 1648 under the Dalai Lama V, and the second part (Potrang Marpo, i.e. "Red Palace") was completed only in 1694 after his death, under his 5th governor Desi Sangye Gyatso. A detailed report of the governor on this stage of construction has been preserved with an extensive list of Newar artisans employed in it. The last major renovation was undertaken in 1922. Under the Dalai Lama XIII, several rooms were restored, and 2 more floors were completed in the Red Palace.
After the construction of the Norbulingka Palace, which began to be used as a summer residence, the Potala received the status of a winter residence.
During the years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the Potala Palace complex, among the few Tibetan cultural monuments, was relatively well preserved, since the Chinese occupation army was stationed here. Nowadays, it is used as a museum, but along with the Jokhang Temple, it is still one of the most important places of pilgrimage for Tibetan Buddhists.
From the outside, 13 floors of the palace are visible. The structure was built entirely of wood and stone. Its walls up to 5 meters thick are built entirely of granite. The foundations of the walls descend deep into the rock layer, and the outer walls are reinforced with reinforcement made by pouring molten iron into special channels. The fittings were supposed to strengthen the structure of the building and its resistance to earthquakes. The Potala Palace was decorated with rich golden decorations, which also served as lightning rods. Numerous lightning strikes that struck him over the past few centuries did not cause him any harm.
- priceless treasure Tibet, sami th tall ancientpalace in China, and throughout the world, which reaches a height of 3,767 m (12,359 ft). It is located on Red Hill - Marpo Ri to the center e Lhasa - and historical capital of Tibet. The Potala takes its name from the holy mountain in South India in Sanskrit “The Abode of Avalokiteshvara (Buddha of Mercy).”
The palace was built on the site where the ruler of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, used to meditate. The first building was built here in 637. Later, he decides to make Lhasa the capital of Tibet and, as legend has it, in honor of his betrothal to Princess Wen Cheng of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) in the 7th century, Songtsen Gampo builds a 9-story building - a palace with thousands of rooms.
Later, with the collapse of the Songtsen Gampa dynasty, ancient palace was almost destroyed in the wars. The image we see today is the architecture of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The Potala Palace consists of 2 parts, the Red Palace - the center and the White Palace, located as two wings. 
Red Palace or Potrang Marpo- the highest part of the Palace, it is dedicated to teaching and religious Buddhist prayers.
According to her ideas, she represents majesty and strength. The Red Palace consists of a complex arrangement of various halls, chapels and libraries on many levels, with many small galleries and winding corridors: The Great West Hall, Dharma Cave, Saint's Chapel, Thirteenth Dalai Lama's Tomb, etc.
The Great West Hall - the largest hall of the Potala Palace , with beautiful frescoes on its inner walls. There are three chapels around it, the chapels of the East, the chapels of the North, and the chapels of the South. Dharma Cave and Saint's Chapel are the only two surviving 7th-century structures with statues of Songtsen Gampa and Princess Wen Cheng inside.
White Palace or Potrang Karpo once served as the administrative building of the local government, as well as the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. Its walls are painted white to convey peace and quiet. The Great Hall of the East on the fourth floor was the venue for special political and religious events.
The fifth and sixth floors are used as living quarters and the regents' offices while the seventh floor, the top floor, is the living quarters of the Dalai Lama, consisting of two parts called East Sunshine Ward and West Sunshine Ward due to the abundance of sunlight.
The Potala Palace has other structures, including schools of Buddhist logic, seminaries, printing houses, gardens, courtyards, and even prisons. For over 300 years, the palace has housed many cultural relics such as frescoes, stupas, statues, tanks and rare sutras.
Potala Palace today
- the center of the Tibetan religion, politics, history and art, and today - a large-scale local history museum. It contains more than 2,500 square meters of frescoes, about 1,000 stupas, over 10,000 sculptures and about 10,000 tanka paintings. The collection also includes paintings, wood carvings, classical scriptures, gold items, jade and local artisans that reflect the wisdom and intelligence of the Tibetans. Funeral stupas were built here to preserve the remains of the Dalai Lamas at the time of their death.
There are currently eight sumptuous stupas, one for each Dalai Lama except the sixth who has been removed from service. Funerary stupas differ in size, but have the same structure, consisting of the top, body and base. All stupas are decorated with gold and precious stones. The most majestic of all is the stupa of the fifth Dalai Lama.
It stands almost 15 meters (about 49 feet) tall, and is adorned with 15,000 pearls, carnelian and precious stones. The frescoes in the corridors depict historical figures, religious legends, Buddhist stories, folk customs and architecture.
