The Potala Palace is the indestructible symbol of Tibet

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Lhasa - "the dwelling place of the gods", it was chosen by the Tibetan kings as the capital of the state. Until now, the researchers of Central Asia cannot unravel all the secrets of the city to the end. The mysteries of Lhasa also include a centuries-old building - the Potala Palace. With its beauty and grandeur, it has amazed people for hundreds of years. Every year, thousands of tourists flock to this place of Buddhist pilgrimage.

City of Lhasa. The Potala Palace is the main attraction

The Chinese city of Lhasa is located in the valley of the beautiful Jichu River, which flows through the Tibetan Plateau. Above sea level, Lhasa is located at an altitude of 3680 meters. For many years it was the residence of the Dalai Lama. Only in 1979 the city became available for visiting tourists, until that time the entrance to foreigners was closed here. Barkhor Street runs in a circle through the center. According to the legends, there was a lake in the center of this ring, an evil spirit lived in it. In order for the townspeople to live in peace, the lake was filled up, and the Jokhang Monastery was built on this site. In the Old City of Lhasa there are many valuable historical monuments: the monasteries of Sera, Drepung, Ganden,but the most significant can be called the Tibetan Potala Palace. For many years it has been surprising visitors with its unusualness, rare architecture, and magnificent style. Thousands of travelers come to Tibet to admire the beauty and uniqueness of the palace. The Potala, the symbol of Buddhism, is located on the Red Hill, which is surrounded by the Lhaska Valley.

Potala Palace, Tibet: history of construction

As the legend says, the Potala Palace was originally built in the 7th century by King Srontszangambo. The building was built for Princess Wencheng, his future wife. The building stretched from the foot to the top of the mountain, it united thousands of buildings made in the Tibetan style. During the hostilities of those years, the Tufan dynasty fell, and many halls of the palace were simply destroyed. Over time, natural disasters also had a bad effect on the condition of the walls of the structure. Reconstruction began only in 1645. At that time, the Qing government determined the ruler of Tibet - the Fifth Dalai Lama. The palace became his residence.

The Potala Palace consisted of two parts - White and Red. The White Palace was built in 1653, and in 1694 the construction of the Red Palace was completed. The total height of the structure made of earth, stone, wood was 117 meters. The width of the palace is 335 meters. Thirteen floors occupy more than 130 thousand square meters, now the entire area occupies 360 thousand square meters. The palace includes more than 1100 rooms and halls, 200 thousand different sculptures, more than 10 thousand chapels.

Description of the Potala Palace

Let's take a closer look at howlooks like the Potala Palace. As mentioned above, it consists of spirit parts - White and Red. The White Palace houses the chambers of the Dalai Lama, the Red Palace serves as a venue for services. Utility rooms and monks' cells were built in the courtyard. It is best to start your tour of the Red Palace from the upper rooms, in particular from the Maitreya Chapel. The entrances to the chapels are located on the lowest tier. The western part is occupied by the tombs of the Dalai Lamas, as well as government offices. In the Solar Pavilion he lived, worked, wrote the sacred texts of the Dalai Lama, and was engaged in management. The large pavilion was used for official ceremonies. The Pabalakan Hall and Fa-Wana Cave, which is considered a special part, are still left from the constructions of the 7th century.

Climbing the Potala. Points of interest

A sacred place among Buddhists is the Potala Palace, Tibet annually receives thousands of pilgrims. The ascent to the palace begins at the foot of the mountain from a blank wall. A winding stone path will lead to the eastern gate, on which four alohanis are depicted. The pavilion can be accessed through the palace wall, which is four meters high.

In the middle of the way, a huge terrace appears, its area is 1600 square meters. From here, the Dalai Lama spoke to the faithful assembled here. Further along the corridor you can climb to the largest pavilion - Pozhanggabo Tsoqinxia. It was here that religious solemn ceremonies were held in 1653, when the Shunzhi Emperor granted the Fifth Dalai Lama a golden seal anddiploma. It was then that he was elevated to the rank of saints.

Everywhere where the Potala Palace is depicted, the part where there are eight tombs, the so-called pagoda-stupas, is visible. The most luxurious and largest is the pagoda of the Fifth Dalai Lama. It is covered with sheet gold, 3721 kg of it was used up. The tomb is encrusted with rare gems.

The largest and oldest part of the palace

The largest pavilion of Pozhangmabo houses a memorial plaque with inscriptions by the Qing Emperor Qianlong and amazing curtains donated by the Kangxi Emperor. The legend says that in order to weave these curtains, a special workshop was built, it took a whole year to make them. The oldest part of the palace is the Snoyagal pavilion. It is here that the sculptures of the great king Srontszangambo, all the dignitaries and Princess Wencheng have been kept for many years. Sasronlangjie is the highest pavilion where sacrifices were made to memorial tablets and the image of Emperor Qianlong.

The beauty of the Potala Palace

The Potala Palace appears before the eyes of travelers as a majestic, indescribably beautiful building. Golden roofs, granite walls, graceful cornices with gilded decorations give the building a fabulous, fantastic image. On the colored wall paintings - drawings of Buddhas and alokhans, a true reproduction of the life and work of the Fifth Dalai Lama. It also reflects the solemn entry of Princess Wencheng into Tibet. Paintings reflect everythingdevelopment of Buddhism, ancient Tibetan culture. The oldest architectural ensemble - the Potala Palace - is an indestructible symbol of Tibet, the fruit of the mind and talent of the Chinese people. It testifies to the cultural unity between the Han and Tibetans.