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Tibet Potala Palace (2006-11-16) Publisher: Webmaster
Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace
rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of
Tibet. Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered
to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was
used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century
AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until
the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the
greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began
in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo,
or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added
between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000
workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated
many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the
Red Palace. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan
uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan
religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and
1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result,
all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.
From as early as the eleventh century the palace was called Potala. This name
probably derives from Mt. Potala, the mythological mountain abode of the
Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara / Kuan Yin) in southern India. The Emperor
Songtsen Gampo had been regarded as an incarnation of Chenresi. Given that he
founded the Potala, it seems likely that the hilltop palace of Lhasa took on the
name of the Indian sacred mountain. The Potala Palace is an immense structure,
its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters. Fulfilling numerous
functions, the Potala was first and foremost the residence of the Dalai Lama and
his large staff. In addition, it was the seat of Tibetan government, where all
ceremonies of state were held; it housed a school for religious training of
monks and administrators; and it was one of Tibet's major pilgrimage
destinations because of the tombs of past Dalai Lamas. Within the White Palace
are two small chapels, the Phakpa Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk; dating from
the seventh century, these chapels are the oldest surviving structures on the
hill and also the most sacred. The Potala's most venerated statue, the Arya
Lokeshvara, is housed inside the Phapka Lhakhang, and it draws thousands of
Tibetan pilgrims each day. |
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