Asia
China
Lhasa
Palace
Podrang Potala
Name:Potala-Palace
Construction period:1645 – 1694
Commissioned by:5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso
Construction management:including Sonam Rapten and Desi Sangye Gyatso
Height:approx. 117 metres
Area of the palace grounds:approx. 400,000 square metres
Number of visitors:approx. 2.2 million visitors per year
UNESCO World Heritage:since 1994

19 Interesting Facts About the Potala Palace

 

  1. Location: The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, on Marpo Ri, the Red Hill. From there, it rises prominently above the Lhasa Valley and shapes the city’s skyline like no other building.
  2. Significance: As Lhasa’s great landmark, the Potala Palace is one of the major highlights of a trip to Tibet for many travelers. Situated at an altitude of about 3,700 meters, it is often regarded as the highest palace in the world.
  3. History of Tibet: Tibet was not continuously a modern nation-state, but it did experience several periods of genuine political independence. From the 7th to the 9th century, a powerful Tibetan Empire emerged and at times ranked among the major powers of Central Asia. Beginning in 1642, the Dalai Lamas became Tibet’s spiritual and secular rulers, closely connecting religion, government and everyday life. Especially between 1912 and 1951, Tibet largely governed itself, even though it received little international recognition as an independent state.
  4. Earlier structure: The present Potala Palace stands on a site that was already associated with Tibetan royal power in the 7th century. King Songtsen Gampo is said to have built an early fortified palace complex on the Red Hill. Later traditions describe this structure as exceptionally large, claiming that it had 999 rooms and one additional room directly on the summit.
  5. Construction history: The present Potala Palace was built from 1645 under the 5th Dalai Lama and was intended to serve as a residence, seat of government and religious center all at once. The White Palace was built first, with living quarters, administrative areas and ceremonial halls. The Red Palace was added later and contains chapels, sacred halls and the magnificent reliquary stupas of several Dalai Lamas. In this way, the Red Hill in Lhasa developed into a vast palace complex.
  6. Secret death: When the 5th Dalai Lama died in 1682, his death was kept secret for years. This was intended to preserve Tibet’s political stability and ensure that the continued expansion of the Potala Palace was not put at risk. Publicly, it was said that he had withdrawn into a long spiritual retreat, while his regent Sangye Gyatso led the government and pushed ahead with the construction of the Red Palace. Only in 1697 was the 6th Dalai Lama officially installed.
  7. Flight of the Dalai Lama: In March 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama secretly left Lhasa after the conflict between Tibet and the Chinese leadership had openly escalated. His escape took him across difficult mountain routes to India, where he was granted asylum and where the Tibetan exile community later established a new center in Dharamshala. Since then, the Dalai Lama has stood worldwide for nonviolent efforts to protect Tibetan culture, religion and identity.
  8. Cultural Revolution: The Cultural Revolution was a radical political mass campaign in China that lasted from 1966 to 1976. Mao Zedong sought to consolidate his weakened power, eliminate political opponents and reshape society according to his ideological vision. During this period, millions of people were persecuted, traditional culture was attacked and many religious, historical and artistic treasures were destroyed. Unlike many other Tibetan cultural assets, the Potala Palace largely survived structurally intact.
  9. Architecture: The Potala Palace combines the presence of a palace, a monastery and a fortress in a single building. With its 13 floors, more than 1,000 rooms and an area of about 130,000 square meters, it is one of the largest palace complexes in the world. Massive walls of rammed earth and stone, timber structures, long stairways and tiered terraces follow the Red Hill so skillfully that the building almost seems to grow out of the rock. Its elevated position and difficult access routes made it not only impressive, but also a strategically well-protected center of power.
  10. White Palace: The White Palace was the secular center of the Potala Palace and served for centuries as the residence and seat of government of the Dalai Lama. Here he received guests, made political decisions and appeared at important ceremonies. Its most important areas included living quarters, audience rooms, ceremonial halls and the throne area. Some of these historic rooms have survived to this day and can still be seen, at least in part, during a regular tour.
  11. Red Palace: The Red Palace forms the religious heart of the Potala Palace and stands out especially because of its red facade and golden roofs. It is located in the higher western central section of the complex and clearly contrasts with the white palace sections around it. Added between 1690 and 1694, it includes chapels, assembly halls and the magnificent funerary stupas of earlier Dalai Lamas.
  12. Funerary stupas of the Dalai Lamas: The gilded funerary stupas of eight earlier Dalai Lamas are located in the Red Palace. They are elaborately designed reliquary shrines containing the mortal remains of important religious figures. Particularly splendid is the nearly 15-meter-high stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama, which is decorated with gold and precious materials. For pilgrims and visitors, these funerary stupas are among the holiest areas of the Potala Palace.
  13. Interior: Inside, the Potala Palace feels like a vast archive of Tibetan art, religion and history. Its halls, chapels and treasure rooms contain 698 murals, almost 10,000 painted scrolls, precious sutras, Buddhist sculptures, altars, carpets and fine objects made of gold and silver.
  14. Namgyel Monastery: The Potala Palace also included Namgyel Dratshang, the private monastery of the Dalai Lamas. It was located west of the Red Palace and formed a separate monastic area within the palace complex. The monks who lived there supported the Dalai Lama during important religious ceremonies and performed prayers and rituals for the well-being of Tibet.
  15. Oldest sanctuaries: In the upper religious section of the Potala Palace are two of the oldest revered places in the entire complex, the Lokeshvara Chapel and the Chogyal Drubphuk meditation cave. The small chapel houses the Arya Lokeshvara figure, a particularly sacred representation of the compassionate protector Lokeshvara. The nearby meditation cave is associated with King Songtsen Gampo, who is said to have prayed or meditated here in the 7th century.
  16. Present use: Today, the Potala Palace is no longer a seat of government, but a museum, pilgrimage site and strictly protected cultural monument. Visits are tightly regulated: tickets often have to be reserved well in advance, the route through the palace is fixed, the time allowed inside is limited and visitor management measures are explicitly designed to protect the World Heritage Site. Photography is forbidden inside.
  17. Pilgrimage tradition: For many Tibetans, the Potala Palace is not only a museum, but still a sacred place. A kora, meaning a ritual circumambulation route, runs around the palace. Along this route, believers walk clockwise around the Potala Palace, pray and perform acts of devotion. Many pilgrims come from Tibet itself, while others come from Tibetan Buddhist regions or from the global Tibetan exile community.
  18. Origin of the name: The name Potala Palace goes back to the mythical Mount Potalaka, which in Buddhist belief is considered the dwelling place of Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of compassion and represents a being close to enlightenment who renounces final entry into nirvana in order to help other living beings on the path to liberation. Because the Dalai Lama is traditionally venerated in Tibetan Buddhism as an embodiment of Avalokiteshvara, the palace in Lhasa received this symbolically charged name.
  19. UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Potala Palace has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994 and was later expanded into the historic ensemble of Lhasa. This also includes the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama from the 18th century, about 2 kilometers west of the Potala Palace.