Potala Palace
The Potala Palace, which integrates palaces, castles, and monasteries in one, at an altitude of 3700 m, is the largest and most complete ancient building complex in Tibet. As the most important symbol of Lhasa and even Tibet, the main building of Potala palace is divided into two parts, the White House and the Red Palace. The entire building complex is 13 stories high, covering an area of more than 100,000 square meters, with thousands of houses. The White Palace is the living place of the Dalai Lama, and the Red Palace is the Buddha Hall and the memorial pagodas of the Dalai Lama.
The Potala Palace was built in the 7th century AD and was originally built for Songzanganbu to marry Princess Chizun of Nepal and Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. Later, as the Tubo dynasty collapsed, it was destroyed by war. In the 17th century, the Fifth Dalai Lama rebuilt the Potala Palace. Since then, the successive Dalai Lama has expanded it, especially after the construction of the 13th Dalai Lama’s memorial pagoda in 1936, it has formed the scale of today’s Potala.
In addition to its architectural art and religious value, the Potala Palace also houses a large number of cultural relics and treasures such as Tangka (Buddhist scroll paintings), Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, porcelain, enamel, and crafts and it can be said that the Potala Palace is “a museum of Tibetan history”.
Other Tibet’s Attractions
Trips and Tours Ideas in Tibet
Yunnan and Tibet Tour
17 days | Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Lhasa, and Shigatse
A travel plan includes the most stunning places of northern Yunnan and the religious and cultural highlights of mysterious Tibet.
Yunnan and Tibet Combined Tour
19 days | Kunming, Dali,Lijiang, Shangri-La, Lhasa, and Shigatse | Prices start from 1,833 $
A travel plan includes the famous historical places of northern Yunnan and the religious and cultural highlights of central Tibet.
