In the city of Lhasa in Tibet - royal palace and a Buddhist temple complex, was the main residence of the Dalai Lama.
Until the flight of the 14th Dalai Lama to Darmasala (India) after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.
Located on a high hill dominating the city. The total area of ​​the palace complex is 360 thousand square meters. m.

Now the Potala Palace is a museum actively visited by tourists, remaining a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists and continuing to be used in Buddhist rituals.
Due to its enormous cultural, religious, artistic and historical significance, it was listed in 1994 world heritage UNESCO.

Name "Potala" comes from a word that in Sanskrit 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.

Potala is located at 3700 meters above sea level, its height is 115 meters, divided into 13 floors, the total area of ​​which is more than 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", and there are very few people who have been able to get around them all.

Palace in his modern form construction began in 1645 on the initiative of the 5th Dalai Lama. In 1648, the White Palace (Potrang Karpo) was completed, and the Potala began to be used as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas. The Red Palace (Potrang Marpo) was completed between 1690 and 1694.

The palace is located at an altitude of 3,700 m on the Red Hill (Marpo Ri) in the middle of the Lhasa valley. Because of the terraces, rooftops and temples, it does not give the impression of a fortress (dzong). The general view of the palace, stretching on a mountain range, with towers, walls, stairs, temples and outbuildings, is a unique artistic solution, its majesty and beauty are appreciated by Buddhists, architects and artists, and travelers are amazed.
Numerous pilgrims go around the hill with the palace, making a bark - a ritual detour of the holy place. Along the bark are numerous prayer wheels and shopping arcades.

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.

The White Palace consists of a large eastern pavilion, a solar pavilion, the living quarters of the regent and preceptor of the Dalai Lama, and government offices. The large oriental pavilion was used for official ceremonies; the Dalai Lama actually lived and worked in the Solar Pavilion, read sacred texts, and was engaged in administration.

The Red Palace served more as a place of prayers and religious rituals; there are pavilions in it. Of great importance are eight memorial stupas, including the Fifth and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas.

In addition to stupas, the palace consists of a string of large and small halls (temples) dedicated to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dalai Lamas, as well as for audiences and ceremonies. Jewels and relics are exhibited in the halls - spatial mandalas for contemplation, funeral stupas, statues of the Dalai Lamas and teachers, statues of deities and yidams, books, ritual objects, a complex system of painting on the walls.

An excerpt from the book of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama "My country and my people"

"They say it's one of the biggest buildings in the world. Even if you live there for many years, it's impossible to know all the secrets of this building. It completely covers the top of the hill. It's a whole city.

However, besides the fact that the building was used as an office, temple, school and dwelling, the Potala was also a huge warehouse. There were rooms filled with thousands of priceless scrolls-icons, thangkas. Some of them were written a thousand years ago. There were rooms filled with golden regalia of the ancient kings of Tibet, also over 1000 years old, and various gifts received from the Chinese and Mongol emperors, as well as the treasures of the Dalai Lamas who ruled the country after the kings. Armor and weapons from the entire period of Tibetan history were also kept here.

The libraries contained chronicles of Tibetan culture and religion, about seven thousand huge volumes. Some are said to have weighed around 80 pounds, while others were written on palm leaves brought from India 1,000 years ago. Two thousand enlightening volumes of scriptures were written in ink composed of powders of gold, silver, iron, copper, mother-of-pearl, lapis lazuli and coral. Each line was written in a different color of ink."

One of the main attractions of the palace is the many frescoes depicting various everyday and ritual scenes. Some of the frescoes were not available for public viewing for a long time. 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.

The Potala Palace rises against the backdrop of a mountain range that is approaching the city from the south. The palace stands on the Red Hill (Marpo Ri) in the middle of the valley, it is only part of a huge fortified complex, which also includes a fenced rectangular area at the foot of the mountain.
The main and central part of the complex is represented by the White Palace (Potrang Karpo) in the east and the Red Palace (Potrang Marpo) - in the west.
The Potala Palace was created as a symbol of Tibetan statehood. This happened at a time when the country was once again united by the administration of the Buddhist Dalai Lamas.
In order to finally raise above all mortals the already high temple-palace, which is also high in the mountains, it is named after the mythical palace in southern India, which belonged to the patron saint of Tibet, the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara, standing on a mountaintop, on the coast of the Indian Ocean (in Chinese Buddhism - Paradise Putuo on an island in the East China Sea). According to Buddhist mythology, the Potala is the paradise where the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Tara live.

Story

The Tibetan temple-palace Potala was built on the site of a huge (more than 1000 rooms) palace of the king of the Yarlung dynasty of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, who ruled in 604-650. and brought Buddhism to the people of Tibet. Today, visitors to the Potala are shown the Chogyal Drupuk Cave, where King Songtsen Gampo meditated, and the Phakra Lhakhang Hall as surviving fragments of that ancient palace complex. Songtsen Gampo was considered the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara.
The ideological inspirer and initiator of the construction of the Potala in 1645 was Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682) - the fifth Dalai Lama, or the Great Fifth, a Tibetan religious and political figure. He was also considered to be the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara. Consequently, the Potala Palace - a paradise on earth - became a clear confirmation of the integrity and revival of the Tibetan state.
However, in the construction of the Potala Palace, there is also an obvious political subtext. First half of the 17th century became a period of fierce struggle between rival schools of Tibetan Buddhism, supported by the rulers of different regions of Tibet. It was in 1642 that the Fifth Dalai Lama received supreme authority over all of Tibet: his Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism defeated all others, and a new supreme Tibetan religious government emerged. Lhasa was declared the capital, where they erected a palace for the new nobility.
The first of the entire complex was built the White Palace in 1645-1648: the Fifth Dalai Lama turned it into his winter residence.
The Red Palace was erected between 1690 and 1694.
Before the start of construction, the site was prepared: the crest of the mountain was leveled using the technique of cutting descending terraces, traditional for Tibetan mountain architecture. Thus, a striking effect of the building “growing” out of the mountain was achieved.
In terms of building technology and materials, the Potala Palace is similar to ordinary peasant houses in Tibet.
Powerful external load-bearing walls are made of roughly processed stones. They are cemented with clay. Thick wooden beams are inserted into the walls, supporting the floor and ceiling. Indoors, the beams are supported by wooden columns.
The sloping outer walls are also typical of the houses of ordinary Tibetans: the walls are sloping inwards by 6-9°. The space between the outer and inner walls reaches 5 m (!), It is filled with earth, stones and intertwined willow branches.
The Potala Palace, by its very appearance, should inspire awe and obedience to the will of the gods and their representatives on earth. That is why he was raised up on a hill in the middle of a valley high in the mountains of Tibet.
Created with the support of the Mongols, the Potala Palace in its appearance combined the Indian roots of Tibetan Buddhism, Chinese architectural decoration and traditional Tibetan building technology.
Since 1951, it has been part of the PRC as an autonomous region. Its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been in exile since 1959. But the Potala Palace survived: unlike most Tibetan monasteries and temples, the Potala was not destroyed by the Red Guards and the Chinese army, thanks to the personal order of the first Premier of the State Council of the PRC, Zhou Enlai (1898-1976).
Potala today remains the architectural embodiment of the Buddhist essence of Tibet.
The White Palace consists of the spacious East Pavilion, the Solar Pavilion, the living quarters of the regent and mentor of the Dalai Lama, and the offices of the government of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Great East Pavilion has always been used for official ceremonies. The Dalai Lama's private quarters were located in the Solar Pavilion, where he lived and worked, read sacred texts, and resolved management issues.
The Red Palace served as a place for prayer meetings and religious rituals. There are also several pavilions here.
In the western annex of the Red Palace is the tomb of Thupten Gyatso, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (1876-1933), who ruled from 1895 to 1933.
He was also awarded this honor for the fact that in 1912 he achieved the proclamation of the independence of Tibet and the formation of an independent Tibetan state.
The walls of the Potala Palace are covered with a layer of lime in the White Palace and ocher in the Red Palace. The walls always look like new, because they are poured over from above, and yak wool is used instead of tassels.
You can always find out what places in the palace are of particular importance: they have small gilded Chinese roofs, but at the same time with gilded Indian ornaments, made in the old days by Nepalese craftsmen.
The windows of the palace are covered with black yak wool carpets.
Eight memorial stupas with the embalmed bodies of the Dalai Lamas are considered very important for the palace and the Potala temple. Among them is the stupa of the Fifth Dalai Lama, the builder of the White Palace.
The Potala Palace is surrounded by monastic living quarters (concentrated in the western wing), storerooms and external fortifications. Due to the crowding of buildings, it is sometimes difficult to judge what period they belong to, but, in all likelihood, this is the end of the 17th century. It should be noted that the palace-temple was constantly being completed, making changes to the overall complex.
Visitors can enter the Potala Palace complex through a narrow gate accessed by several stepped ramps.
In the interior of the palace, wooden beams and columns, as well as walls, are decorated with intricate carvings and drawings. The halls are filled with many relics: these are spatial mandalas for contemplation, funeral stupas, statues of the Dalai Lamas and teachers, statues of deities and yidams, books, ritual objects.
In all the centuries of its existence, the Potala Palace has never been tangibly damaged. Its beautiful appearance and good condition of the interiors are supported only by the necessary repairs.
Lhasa has grown noticeably in recent decades, with many modern-style buildings, but the Potala, as of old, still towers majestically above the changing urban landscape.
The Potala Palace was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

general information

Location: southeast Tibet.
Administrative location: Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.
Status: religious building, historical monument.
Construction: VII, XVII, XIX centuries.
Languages: Tibetan, Chinese.
Ethnic composition: Tibetans, Hans.
Religion: Buddhism.
Currency unit: yuan.

Numbers

The total area of ​​the palace: 360,000 m2 (together with the front yard and pond).
The total height of the complex: 117 m.
Length: 400 m.
Width: 350 m.
Wall thickness: 3-5 m.
Floors: 13.
Height above sea level: 3650 m.
East Court Square (terraces): 1600 m2.
Chogyal Drupuk cave area: 27 m2.
Number of monks(Namgyal Monastery) : 200.

Climate and weather

Mountain.
January average temperature: -2.5°C.
July average temperature: +15°С.
Average annual rainfall: 420 mm.
Relative humidity: 60%.

Attractions

■ Potala palace and temple complex(VII, XVII centuries).
■ white palace(1645-1648)
■ red palace(1690-1694)
■ Thupten Gyatso Tomb- Dalai Lama XIII (1934-1936)
■ Other structures: monastic living quarters, storerooms and external fortifications (end of the 17th century).

Curious facts

■ In 1652, the Fifth Dalai Lama, the builder of the Potala, arrived in Beijing, where the Yellow Palace was built especially for him. The Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, then ruling China, gave the Fifth Dalai Lama the title of Piercing, carrying a thunder scepter like an ocean lama, as a token of special gratitude. In gratitude, the Fifth Dalai Lama awarded the emperor with the title of Heavenly God, Manjushri, the Highest, the Great Lord.
■ Construction stone was brought to the construction site from a quarry northeast of Lhasa. Porters delivered - on their own backs and in drags. The clay used as a mortar was mined on the spot, and the remaining pits were turned into a pond, called the Pool of the Dragon King.
■ The Thirteenth Dalai Lama played a very important role in the so-called Great Game - the diplomatic and military confrontation between Russia, Great Britain and the Qing Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the same time, he was on the side of Russia. In 1904, after the British invasion of Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled to Urga, the capital of Mongolia. Turning to the Russian consulate, he asked the tsarist government for permission to move to Russia. The Dalai Lama was refused: if this request were granted, Russia would spoil relations with China for a long time, if not forever.
■ The main difference between the architecture of the Potala and the walls of traditional Tibetan houses is that the walls of the small bastions in the east and west wings are rounded, not straight.
■ Only diligent adherence to the Tibetan traditions of house-building in the Potala can explain the presence of a vertical parapet on the flat roofs, into whose front surface branches of willow and tamarisk are inserted, the ends pointing outward and painted red. They symbolize bundles of brushwood and armfuls of hay, which even today Tibetan peasants pile on the roofs of their simple houses.
■ The underground sanctuary of the ancient pre-Buddhist religion Bon has been preserved in the lower basement tier.
■ Relics of the Potala - one hundred sacred scrolls on palm leaves from ancient India. They were written over a thousand years ago, using gold and silver ink, dyes from pearls, iron powder, coral, seashells and copper dust. The paper of the scrolls does not lend itself to damage by insects or dampness.
■ After the reincarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama (his death and the search for a new one), his associates hid this for almost ten years, fearing that the people would rebel and stop working on the construction of the Potala Palace.
■ Stupa of the Fifth Dalai Lama occupies the fourth floor, its height is about 15 m, it is made of gold.

Tibet is home to one of the most beautiful Buddhist palaces in the world, the Potala. The building got its name in the 11th century. In 1994, the Potala Temple was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located at an altitude of more than 3 thousand meters. The Potala Temple is the official winter representation of the Dalai Lama. It was here that all the ceremonies, meetings with the Tibetan government were held. Currently, a lot of tourists come here from different countries the world in order to see with their own eyes all the beauty and power of the Tibetan temple, to get acquainted with rare exhibits.

History of the Potala

This beautiful temple complex is located in the picturesque Lhasa Valley on Mount Marpo Ri. In Tibet, it is one of the tallest monumental structures. According to a mythical legend, Songtsen Gempo (a Tibetan ruler in the 7th century AD) meditated in a cave on Mount Marpo Ri. Later, he decided to build a temple complex on the hill. The building had its original appearance until the 17th century. With the help of the Dalai Lama in 1648, the temple was restored and slightly reconstructed. Today it is this building that travelers can see when they arrive in Tibet. About 7 thousand workers and 1,000 artists took part in the construction of the structure.

In 1922, the Supreme Head of Tibet repaired the halls and other places of worship in the White Palace, and the workers also restored the Red Palace. This great building was damaged only once - in 1959 during the invasion of the Chinese.

In addition, the temple remained in excellent condition even after the robberies of the Red Guards, who destroyed many Tibetan palaces in the 60-70s. 20th century. In the Potala temple complex, all the exhibits and sanctuaries at that time remained intact.

Once upon a time, administrators and religious mentors were trained in the castle. In the White Palace are small chapels that are valued for their safety and sacredness.

White Palace

The Potala Temple consists of the White and Red Palaces. In the White Palace you can see the rooms of the monks of the Supreme Head of Tibet, the Solar and the Great East Pavilions.

It is worth noting that the Solar Pavilion consists of an eastern and a western part. The rooms of the thirteenth Supreme Head of Tibet are located in the western part, and the rooms of the fourteenth Dalai Lama are located in the eastern part. Tourists will be able to see brocade blankets, jasper and gold tea utensils, porcelain sculptures, statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and much more in the Sun Pavilion.

The Great East Pavilion is the largest in the White Palace. It was here that cultural celebrations and political meetings took place. The walls of the Great Eastern Pavilion are decorated with frescoes on the themes: “the life story of a princess”, “how a monkey turned into a man”. In the center of the large pavilion stands a large statue of the Dalai Lama.

Red Palace

In the Red Palace, the monks of the Dalai Lama read prayers in the name of Buddha Shakyamuni. Here you can see many pavilions with memorial shrines and other unusual rooms.

The Red Palace has eight sanctuaries, among which it is worth highlighting the rooms of the thirteenth Dalai Lama and the fifth Supreme Head of Tibet. Their appearance is simply amazing. They are so large and luxurious that any tourist will definitely remember the memorial sanctuaries in the Potala for a lifetime. The stupa of the fifth Dalai Lama has a height of more than fourteen meters (five-story building). It is completely made of real gold. Tibetan memorial shrines alone are a large part of the world's wealth.

The Stupa of the thirteenth Dalai Lama rises to a height of about 14 m. It was built in 1934.

In the Red Palace, travelers will see various attributes, unique scriptures, unusual products and handicrafts, icons of Buddhist saints, frescoes depicting the construction of the Tibetan temple complex.

The highest and most spacious hall of the Red Palace is its western part. This is where the Dalai Lama once received guests, held ceremonial events and held sacrifices. Among the exhibits there is a banner with imperial painting, brocade and gold threads. You can also see the statue of the many-armed and many-faced Avalokiteshvara, made of silver and gold.

The most ancient attraction of the temple complex is the Pabalakan pavilion (Avalokiteshvar) and the Favana cave (27 sq. km.). The pavilion is located directly above the cave, which allows tourists to view the beauty of the complex. Fawan Cave houses rare statues of princesses of the Tufan Kingdom: Ludongzang, Chizul and Wencheng.

Most of the roofs of the pavilions of the palace are covered with gilding and have a traditional Chinese shape with flying corners, which are often decorated with animals from legends.

Potala Palace is a monument of Buddhist architecture. Many exhibits here are unique and amazing. Having visited this Palace, travelers want to come back here again.

Roughly knew that in Tibet there is a huge palace on the mountain. I decided that I needed to get to know him better. Let's go together.

Potala is a unique ancient palace in Lhasa, located at an altitude of 3767 meters above sea level. No palace in the world is located as high as the Potala. The palace got its name from the name of the sacred mountain located in India, where, according to legend, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvar (Guanyin) lives.

The first wooden Potala Palace on the slope of the Red Mountain was built in the 7th century for the niece of the Tang emperor Wen Cheng, who came to Tibet to marry the Tibetan prince Srontszangambo (617-650). Wen Cheng captivated the ruler with her beauty and intelligence, and he ordered that a palace be built for her. The Tang princess is the most famous and revered woman in Tibet, who had a huge impact on the development of this region. She taught local residents grow vegetables, grind flour, distill wine and spirits, and, most importantly, introduced them to Buddhism, which was already widespread throughout China. With her help, Prince Srontszangambo created an administrative and military system in Tibet.

1939

However, already in the 8th century, the palace with 999 rooms was destroyed by lightning and internecine wars, and only in the 17th century, by order of the fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682), the palace was restored, after which the layout of the building did not change. Since then, the Potala has served as the sacred residence of the Dalai Lamas, a religious center and the place from which Tibet is governed.

The area of ​​the palace occupies 360,000 sq.m., the height is 119 meters. In total, the palace has 9 floors, although from the street it seems that there are 13 of them, and more than 2000 rooms. The majestic trapezoidal structures of the palace are built right on the mountainside and are painted in white and red colors. The walls of the palace are made of granite, while the windows and roofs are made of wood. The interiors are lit with oil lamps, and the halls are decorated with silk ribbons and sutras. The palace is designed in a typical Tibetan architectural style and is the most majestic and striking creation of Tibetan architects and craftsmen. Castle Potala - ancient And famous palace in China - called the "pearl on the roof of the world."

The palace consists of two main parts - the Red Palace in the center and two pavilions of the White Palace.
The Red Palace, or as it is also called Potrang Marpo, mainly served for religious ceremonies and prayers. In its premises there are eight stupas that store a particle of the relics of the Dalai Lamas, numerous relics, items made of precious metals and stones. The palace is characterized by a complex layout of halls, a large number of galleries of different levels, with winding and narrow passages.

The most spacious room of the Red Palace is the Great Western Hall, which consists of four temples. This magnificent hall is the clearest evidence of the greatness and power of the Fifth Dalai Lama. The hall is famous for its unique paintings, reminiscent of Persian miniatures, which depict scenes from the life of the Fifth Dalai Lama. The columns in the hall are wrapped with a special precious fabric from Bhutan.

In the northern part of the hall is a sacred tomb, on the door of which, in the 19th century, the Chinese emperor Tong Ji had an inscription proclaiming Buddhism "a flowering field of wonderful fruits." Here is an ancient statue of Avalokiteshvara and two of his servants, carved from a precious stone. A floor below, a low, dark passage leads to Fa-vaan's cave.

On the fourth floor of the Red Palace in the Western Temple, there are 5 stupas of the Dalai Lama, including the stupa of the fifth Dalai Lama. Its length is almost 15 meters. The stupa was built from sandalwood, covered with 3727 kg. pure gold, adorned with 18680 pearls and precious stones. On the left is the stupa of the twelfth Dalai Lama, and on the right is the stupa of the tenth.

The 13th Dalai Lama's tomb is located to the west of the Great Western Hall. You can only get here through the top floor along with the monks or guides of the palace. Built in 1933, the giant memorial stupa is covered in pure gold and priceless stones. The memorial stupa reaches 22 meters in height. Rich religious decorations include elephant tusks from India, porcelain vases, and miniature pagodas made from over 200,000 pearls. The walls are decorated with traditional Tibetan paintings depicting events from the life of the 13th Dalai Lama.

In the pavilion of the Red Palace of Shushengsanjiedian, there is an amazing statue of a thousand-handed Guanyin with 11 faces.
The main buildings of the White Palace, the color of which symbolizes tranquility and peace, are the Great Eastern Pavilion, the Solar Pavilion, as well as living quarters for teachers of the Dalai Lamas, trusted monks and officials. The spacious premises of the Great Eastern Pavilion were used for important ceremonies and receptions. Here is the throne of the Dalai Lama.
The Sun Pavilion above the Great East Pavilion served as the living quarters for the Dalai Lamas. This is where they worked.

In addition, two buildings of the 7th century have been preserved in the palace, the only ones that were not destroyed during civil strife - the Fa-wana cave and the Pabalakan pavilion. According to legend, King Srontszangambo used to meditate and study sacred texts in the cave. Until now, the hearth and stone vat, which were used by the king himself, have been preserved in the cave.

A large-scale reconstruction of the palace, for which more than $6.6 million was spent, was carried out in 1989-1994. At the same time, an expensive monitoring system was installed in the premises to prevent fires. December 7, 1994 the palace was included in the UNESCO heritage list. In 2002-2006, more than $40 million was spent on the restoration of the palace. Now the palace is open to tourists and partly works as a museum.

The Potala Palace is almost entirely built of wood. It is lit with oil lamps. And the halls are decorated with silk ribbons with sutras. All of these create a fire hazard. The administration of the Potala Palace pays great attention to the prevention of accidents. Therefore, in 1994, 4.7 million yuan (US$566,000) was invested in the installation of a 24-hour monitoring system. Thanks to the measures taken, since 1988 there has not been a single fire in the palace. December 7, 1994 the palace was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Previously, it has never been calculated how many rooms are in the 13-story palace. It was only in 1994 that the administration nevertheless decided to establish the exact number of premises. To carefully examine the palace, it took specialists as much as five years, longer than the restoration of the building itself. The Potala is a huge treasure trove of ancient relics. The sacred stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama (1617-1682), made of 5.5 kg of gold and a huge amount of precious stones, is kept here.

The Chinese government has invested 4.9 million yuan in the palace's fire protection system. During the first stage of the project, from 1989 to 1994, 53 million yuan (6.4 million US dollars) and several tons of gold were spent to restore the Potala. Prior to this, for 300 years, there were no full-scale reconstructions of the palace. There are many cultural treasures in Tibet. Since the 1950s, the Chinese government has spent 200 million yuan to preserve cultural monuments in Tibet. Historians, ancient architects and geologists carried out research in order to draw up a plan for the preservation of the Potala.

The second phase of the restoration project was completed in 2006. The focus at this stage will be on the "snow town" at the foot of the Red Hill. By 2001, more than 300 families had settled in the snowy town where the Tibetan nobility once lived. At the first stage, the Red and White Palaces of the Potala were restored, the premises were cleaned from rats, and a sewer system was installed. To preserve the appearance of the palace, experts turned to traditional construction techniques. For example, they covered the roof with a layer of oil to make it waterproof. This technology has been used by the Tibetans for centuries. However, even when using oil, the roofs leaked during heavy rains, when the rammed earth from which they were made began to dissolve. At the second stage, a special chemical was added to the rammed earth, which will not allow the roof to pass water. Particular attention was paid to wooden structures. They were treated with a substance that repels rats. But new technologies did not harm the ancient structure of the palace. The purpose of the reconstruction was not to change the original appearance. Special measures were taken to preserve statues, manuscripts and other valuables. Huge statues in multi-layered robes, wooden frames, canvases and sheets of metal were taken out of the palace. During construction, they were kept under the supervision of the monks. None of the 100,000 pieces of art were damaged during the work. In the second phase of the project, which began in 2002, the team abandoned the use of cement for the roof, instead using chemicals. Thus, they avoided the destruction of ancient structures.

The first buildings appeared here as early as the 7th century, but the Potala acquired its current appearance only in the 16th-17th centuries. The palace was built from 641 to the 17th century. In 1645, construction began on the first, lower part of the Potala - the White Palace (Potrang Karpo). The nine-story building was completed 3 years later, and in 1649 the Fifth Dalai Lama moved from Drepung to his new residence.

white palace was the place where the courtiers used to live, there were reception halls, storerooms, etc. They say that treasures, weapons, as well as sacred books and archives that Tibetan kings and Dalai Lamas have been collecting for centuries have been stored here and now. However, this cannot be verified - tourists are only allowed into a few rooms. In addition, photography inside these premises is strictly prohibited.

The central part of the complex - Red Palace(Potrang Marpi) red-brown, like the clothes of lamas, in color. Here were the apartments of the Dalai Lama, the main lamaist shrines, the tombs (suburgans) of the Dalai Lamas, starting from the Fifth.

The circumstances of the construction of the upper Red Palace, which is larger in size, remain the subject of controversy to this day. It is known for sure that the Fifth Dalai Lama died in 1682, and the fact of his death was hidden until the completion of the construction of the Red Palace in 1694, that is, for 12 years. According to some reports, the work was started by a regent who ruled Tibet from 1679 to 1703. According to other sources, the Red Palace was conceived by the Fifth Dalai Lama as a mausoleum, and by the time of his death, work was already in full swing. In any case, the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama was not announced until his body was placed in the newly completed Red Palace.

There are also several opinions regarding the name of the palace. The most likely explanation is that it comes from the Tibetan name used to denote the Pure World of Avalokiteshvara, also known as the Potala. Considering the fact that both Songtsen Gampo and the Dalai Lama are considered to be the earthly incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, this explanation seems quite acceptable.

In total, both palaces have more than 1000 rooms and 13 floors. On the territory of the Potala, Phakpa Lhakhang Temple There is a sacred statue of Aria Lokeshvara for Buddhists. Here is the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama, a religious school, cells of monks, a treasury and storerooms.

Since its construction, the Potala has served as the home of each of the subsequent Dalai Lamas, although since the summer palace at Norbulingk was built in the 18th century, it has only served as a winter residence. The Potala also housed the Tibetan government, and with all the chapels, halls, philosophical and religious schools, the tombs of the Dalai Lamas, the palace was a separate world. The 13th 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 cells.

The Potala was also shelled during a popular uprising against the Chinese in 1959. Luckily, the damage was not significant either during the uprising or in the following years of the Cultural Revolution.

For many years after the Chinese occupation, the palace was closed to the public, and only in 1980 it was reopened. In 1985, restoration work was completed, for which about $4 million was spent.

In 1645, the Potala Palace was rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama. The reconstruction process lasted 50 years. After that, for three hundred years, the palace was partially rebuilt and completed. The Potala Palace today has 9 tiers (although there are 13 in appearance) and rises 110 meters along the mountainside. It is a mixed construction of stone and wood. The walls are built of granite. The greatest thickness of the walls is 5 meters. Molten Gugong is also poured into the front of the walls to strengthen the structure and increase resistance to earthquakes. At the same time, golden details of the decor were made, which made it possible to ingeniously solve the problem of a lightning rod. For hundreds of years, the Potala Palace has been tested by lightning, thunder and earthquakes. However, he, as before, rises in all his glory. The Potala Palace consists of the White Palace (the residence of the Dalai Lamas), located on the sides, and the central Red Palace (Buddhist pavilions and halls of the Dalai Lamas) and the western white Buddhist halls. In front of the Red Palace rises the white tower Sayfotai, where large tanks hang - woven icons (or applications) with the image of Buddha. All the buildings of the Potala were erected in different periods, however, during the construction, the mountainous terrain was cleverly used and excellent constructive solutions were used. The Potala Palace has reached a high aesthetic level. The Red Palace is the main object of the entire ensemble. It contains the halls of the Dalai Lamas of different generations and various memorial and prayer halls. Including the most famous hall with a stupa of the fifth generation Dalai Lama Losanjiatso. The stupa is almost 15 meters high. It has a square foundation and a round roof. The body of the stupa can be divided into three parts: the foundation, the body-“decanter” and the roof. The body of the fifth generation Dalai Lama, in incense and red flowers, was buried in a "decanter". The stupa is lined with 3724 kg. gold leaf and decorated with more than 15 thousand precious stones, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, green jade, pearls, agates. On the foundation of the stupa there are vessels for sacrifices. The western hall is called Xiangtan. This is the largest hall in the palace of the fifth generation Dalai Lama. The roof of the structure is supported by 48 large wooden columns 6 meters high. During the construction, the architects used an arched structure, which is often used in buildings of Han architecture. There are many wooden sculptures of Buddha, lions, elephants and various animals. During the reconstruction and expansion of the Potala Palace in the XVII century. famous Tibetan masters have created tens of thousands of beautiful wall paintings, which are displayed in the halls and galleries. The content of the paintings is varied. They depict historical characters, plots of stories and legends, moments in the history of Buddhism, and also reflect life, folk customs, sports entertainment and games. All these paintings are priceless works of art of the Potala Palace.

In addition, the Potala Palace contains tens of thousands of scroll paintings, examples of stone and wood carvings, clay sculpture, historical treasures such as the Beijing (Buddhist canon on shells), as well as traditional art objects such as Tibetan carpets, Jingfan (Canon on silk or wool), ceramics, porcelain, jade products, etc. They not only have a high artistic value, but also reflect the ancient thousand-year history of friendly contacts and cultural ties between the Han and Tibetans. Being the “Pearl of the Roof of the World”, the Potala Palace is known throughout the world due to its palace structures, clay and wooden statues, metal products, drawings and paintings, as well as various carvings. It demonstrates the highest technique of the Tibetan, Han, Mongolian and Manchu masters, as well as the magnificent achievements of the Tibetan building art. In 1994, the Potala Palace was officially included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

The structure, 320 m long and 110 m high, around which eagles soar, is divided into the White and Red Palaces. The White Palace of the Potala with a defensive socle in its present form arose under the 5th Dalai Lama starting in 1645 with the participation of a large number of serfs. There is practically nothing left of the older fortress that existed on this mountain since the time of Songtsen Gampo (7th century) - although the legend says that the meditation cave (see below) and the Phagpa hall are relics of that time. The White Palace contains rooms that perform purely practical functions, including sleeping quarters, study rooms and an audience hall for the Dalai Lama. In addition, the monastic tract, administrative premises and warehouses are located here. The most important shrines are located in the Red Palace, built under the regent of the 6th Dalai Lama until 1694. Since then, the appearance of the Potala has not changed much.

Inspection

The main entrance to the Potala Palace, through which pilgrims travel, leads up the other side of the fortress mountain (the so-called Red Mountain), which faces the Old City, to the eastern part of the White Palace. Tourists, as part of a booked program, are driven along the road from the west to the north side of the Red Palace, so that they enter the holy of holies, so to speak, through the back door. From there it is necessary to proceed along the route of inspection leading to all the important rooms with an unusually large number of magnificent works of art.

Great West Hall

The center of the Red Palace is the Great Western Hall, the enthronement hall. Its walls are decorated with murals depicting episodes from the life of the Dalai Lamas, Tibetan kings and the incarnations of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The four rooms surrounding the western hall can, based on their religious meaning, be considered as the history of Tibetan Buddhism: the Padmasambhava hall tells about its origins; it is dedicated to that Indian saint who arrived in Tibet in the 8th century, subjugated the demons of the local religion and instructed them to stand guard over Buddhism from now on. The next room is the hall of the reformer Tsongkhapa, whose heir later became the 1st Dalai Lama. The third room is dedicated to him and his four subsequent incarnations. The fourth is fraught with tomb stupas with the bodies of the 5th, 10th and 12th Dalai Lamas. We are talking about 14-meter, richly gilded and jeweled pagodas with relics. The central stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama is the most luxurious decoration of the Potala. In similar caskets in the Red Palace, the mortal shells of eight Tibetan priest-kings are buried. Outside, their exact location is indicated by the gilded roofs of the Red Palace.

Top floor

Stairs in the northeast of the western hall lead through an intermediate floor with wall paintings, which, among other things, depict the construction of the Potala, to the upper floor with other significant halls and wonderful images. Here in the northeast corner is also the meditation hall of King Songtsen Gampo. This room with models of rocks, designed as a grotto, dates back to the founding of Lhasa and the origins of the Potala Palace, as well as Tibetan Buddhism in general. Plastically, the king is depicted between the thirty-eight-armed Avalokiteshvara and the 5th Dalai Lama; further on are the statues of the wives of Songtsen Gampo, Padmasambhava and others.

Phagpa Hall

The circular corridor leads further to the hall of the peaceful and wrathful gods, as well as to two halls full of many valuable metal sacrificial gifts. Above them is the Phagpa Hall. At the left entrance to it are footprints and hands allegedly left by Padmasambhava, Tsongkhapa and the 12th Dalai Lama. The main statues in the room are three statues of Avalokitesvara made of sandalwood, which supposedly came out as natural formations from a split tree trunk; therefore, believers see in these figures a manifestation of the otherworldly, and, accordingly, great reverence is shown to them.

Stupa of the 13th Dalai Lama and private quarters

If you go to the left, you can reach the tomb stupa of the 13th Dalai Lama, who died in 1933. Next is the private quarters of the 6th Dalai Lama, a life-loving man who did not obey monastic vows and was subsequently allegedly killed. Amitayus, the Buddha of Longevity, is worshiped in this room today. The staircase leads to the attic floor with the Maitreya Hall, which houses the throne of the 8th Dalai Lama. From the roof platform opens beautiful view to the city. Further, a circular corridor leads to the private chambers of the 13th and 14th (current) Dalai Lamas. Since the latter fled from Tibet in 1959, the premises allotted to him have practically retained their original appearance. Through the courtyard and extremely luxurious portals, you can go to the stairs leading up on the south side of the palace and go down to the city. Opening hours: daily 9.30-12.00, 15.00-17.00.