Potala

Potala Palace ( Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ་ཕོ་བྲང​​ Chinese: 布达拉宫) is the name of a museum in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China, built in the ''dzong''-style. It was previously a palace of the Tibetan sovereign, the Dalai Lama, and was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649. In 1959 the Tibetan government ceased inhabitation when the buildings were seized by the People's Republic of China.

The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, which within Buddhist thought is the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. The 5th Dalai Lama made decree for its construction in 1645Laird, Thomas. (2006). ''The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama'', pp. 175. Grove Press, New York. . with advice of Konchog Chophel the Thirty-Fifth Ganden Tripa of the monastical tradition of Tsongkhapa. The Potala is on ruins of the White or Red Palace, built by decree of Songtsen Gampo in 637.

Built at an altitude of 3,700 metres, on the side of Ri Marpo ('Red Mountain') in the centre of Lhasa Valley,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 the building measures 400m east–west and 350m north–south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3m thick, and 5m thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. The Potala is thirteen storeys of buildings which contain over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues. The building height is 119m on Marpo Ri, and more than 300m in total above the valley floor.Buckley, Michael and Strauss, Robert. ''Tibet: a travel survival kit'', p. 131. Lonely Planet. South Yarra, Vic., Australia. .

History

Context

The Dalai Lama inhabited an estate at Drepung Monastery known as Ganden Podrang. During 1621 Lhasa was made the jurisdiction of Ganden Podrang by Tsang. During the third month of 1642 Gushri Khan Dhamma King, Holder of the Faith, had taken from the Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa
346-7
/ref> Sde-srid Tsang-pa regime of the Garma Gagyu Sect (Tsang) by military forces the places in Tibet, which was the Land of Wooden Doors, held by that governship; and then offered the thirteen parts of Tibet, which is the whole, to the Dalai Lama. On the fifth day of the fourth month of the Water-Horse year in the 11th cycle the Dalai Lama was made sovereign of Tibet on the golden fearless snow lion throne. Sometime during or soon after 1644, the Dalai Lama, the then regent of Ganden Podrang, and Gushri Khan all decided to build a palace.

The Potala is built on the site of palace Songtsen Gampo on the Red Hill. The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of the earlier palace. One is the Phakpa Lhakhang, the other the Chogyel Drupuk, a recessed cavern identified as Songtsen Gampo's meditation cave. Ngawang Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the modern Potala Palace in 1645, after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel, 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.Karmay, Samten C. (2005).
The Great Fifth
, p. 1. Downloaded as a pdf file on 16 December 2007 from:

The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete.

Inhabitation

The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion, who is known as Avalokitesvara, or Chenrezi.Stein, R. A. (1972). ''Tibetan Civilization'', p. 228. Translated by J. E. Stapleton Driver. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. (cloth); (paper).

The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. Construction lasted until 1694,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. some twelve years after his death. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694. Kalachakra Mandala was constructed during the 1690s.

The Yamantaka Mandala was made during 1751.

Modern

The lower white frontage on the south side of the palace was used to hoist two gigantic thangkas joined representing the figures of Tara and Sakyamuni during the Sertreng Festival on the 30th day of the second Tibetan month.

Amongst at least one group of Tibetans c.1950 the "Potala" is known colloquially as "Peak Potala" (''Tse Potala''), or most commonly as "the Peak".

File:亜細亜大観 03 124 "西藏教皇達賴喇嘛法王の宮殿 （西藏）".jpg, Potala Palace in the 1920s
File:The Zhol PIllar in 1949.jpg, The Sertreng ceremony on 28 April 1949 with thangkas on the front of the palace

After Chinese governmentship

The palace was moderately damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese in 1959, when Chinese shells were launched into the palace's windows. It escaped damage during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 through the personal intervention of Zhou Enlai, who was then the Premier of the People's Republic of China. According to Tibetan historian Tsering Woeser, the palace, which harboured "over 100,000 volumes of scriptures and historical documents" and "many store rooms for housing precious objects, handicrafts, paintings, wall hangings, statues, and ancient armour", "was almost robbed empty".

The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

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. 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 and 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$6.875 million).

The number of visitors 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. Visits to the structure's roof were banned after restoration efforts were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage. Visitorship quotas were raised 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. 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.

Architecture

File:048 Potala (3).JPG
File:Lhasa, Potala 1999 04.jpg
File:Lhasa Potala.jpg

The Potala has inward-sloping walls with straight rows of many windows at the upper parts of the walls, and flat roofs at various levels. 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 staircases with intervals leads to the summit of the rock. The whole width of this is occupied by the palace.

The central part of the group of buildings is a quadrangular terminating in gilt canopies similar to those on Jokhang Temple Monastery. The crimson coloured central member of Potala is called the "red palace" and contains the principal halls and chapels and shrines of past Dalai Lamas.

The colours: red, white, yellow, are caused by the application of limestone.

White Potala

File:Lhasa-Potala-66-Ostseite-2014-gje.jpg
File:Palacio de Potala - 04.JPG
File:Lhasa, Potala 1999 05.jpg

Red Potala

File:Lhasa, Potala 1999 11.jpg
File:Potala V.jpg
File:Potala Red Palace walls.jpg

Interior

File:Deatail of decoration in Potala.jpg, Detail of decoration
File:Copy of 331016571Potala original.tif, A copy of 13th-14th century Buddha statue
File:IMG 1206 Lhasa Potala.jpg, The former quarters of the Dalai Lama. The figure in the throne represents Tenzin Gyatso, the incumbent Dalai Lama. The throne bears the Chinese character , meaning "long life".

Grounds

File:Potala-from-behind 07-2005.jpg, View from behind, seen from Ching Drol Chi Ling
File:The quiet and peaceful park, pond, and chapel behind the Potala.jpg, The park, pond, and chapel behind the Potala

See also

* Imperial Monument to the Pacification of Xizang
* Dhvaja
*''Kundun'', a 1997 film about the Dalai Lama, chiefly set inside the palace
* Leh Palace
* Lhasa Mass Art Museum
* Lhasa Zhol Pillar
* List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
* Mount Putuo
*Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama's former summer palace
* Patala, Patala/Potala
*'' Seven Years in Tibet''

Notes

References

Sources

* Beckwith, Christopher I. (1987). ''The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia''. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey. .
*Bishop, Peter. "Reading the Potala". 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. .
* 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.
* Larsen and Sinding-Larsen (2001). ''The Lhasa Atlas: Traditional Tibetan Architecture and Landscape'', Knud Larsen and Amund Sinding-Larsen. Shambhala Books, Boston. .
* Richardson, Hugh E. (1984) ''Tibet & Its History''. 1st edition 1962. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Shambhala Publications. Boston .
* Richardson, Hugh E. (1985). ''A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions''. Royal Asiatic Society. .
* Snellgrove, David & Hugh Richardson. (1995). ''A Cultural History of Tibet''. 1st edition 1968. 1995 edition with new material. Shambhala. Boston & London. .
* von Schroeder, Ulrich. (1981). ''Indo-Tibetan Bronzes''. (608 pages, 1244 illustrations). Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications Ltd.
* von Schroeder, Ulrich. (2001). ''Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet''. Vol. One: ''India & Nepal''; Vol. Two: ''Tibet & China''. (Volume One: 655 pages with 766 illustrations; Volume Two: 675 pages with 987 illustrations). Hong Kong: Visual Dharma Publications, Ltd.
* von Schroeder, Ulrich. 2008. ''108 Buddhist Statues in Tibet''. (212 p., 112 colour illustrations) (DVD with 527 digital photographs). Chicago: Serindia Publications.
*Yule, Henry; Waddell, Lawrence. (See p. 530.)

External links

*

Potala Palace
at UNESCO.org
Potala Palace
with related biographies, art, and timelines (The Treasury of Lives)

Potala
(Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library)


* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070224150028/http://www.thdl.org/texts/reprints/kailash/kailash_07_01_01.pdf Research work on Buddhism in India
Google Maps location of Potala Palace

Three-dimensional rendering of Potala Palace

*

The Potala palace
(archived)

Potala Palace Tour
in Tibet is one of the most prominent attractions to be visited not only by the tourists from all around the world but even to the native Tibetans and the Potala Place had been list in UNESCO's World Heritage in 1994.
*

{{Authority control
Buddhist buildings in Tibet
Buildings and structures in Lhasa
Dzongs in Tibet
Palaces in Tibet
Royal residences in Tibet
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in China
Houses completed in 1694
17th-century establishments in Tibet
World Heritage Sites in Tibet
1694 establishments in Asia
Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Tibet
History of Lhasa
1649 establishments in Asia