The first palace was built in the year 637 of Songtsen Gampo. In the 17th Century this was built into the construction of a larger system. The construction of the first part of today's palace, "Phodrang Karpo" (Tib: pho brang dkar po, "White Palace"), was in 1648 during the reign of the 5th Dalai Lama concluded that "Phodrang Marpo" (Tib: pho brang dmar po, "Red Palace") was completed in 1694 after his death under Desi Sanggye Gyatsho. The last major change came in 1922, under the 13th Dalai Lama has been renovated several rooms and the Red Palace nor added two more floors.
The 130 m of Lhasa on the Red mountain towering Potala Palace is like them outside of radiant beauty and a stable Wahrzeinchen the Tibetan capital. The tourists enjoy the view from the deck on the roof, admire the shining god and walk the glittering jewels and a chapel to another, shoulder to shoulder with reverential pilgrims from all parts of Tibet, the offer to any of the many altars their offerings.
An important tip: If you is just be enough and not acclimatized should resist the temptation to take a tour of the Potala Palace on the first day of attack - it is associated with extensive climbing, and even breathe the Tibetans and panting on the way to above.
The 13 floors of the complex are home to over 1000 rooms were occupied with the completion of at least 7,000 construction workers and 1,500 artists and craftsmen over 50 years. The lion's share of the Potala claimed the White Palace (Potrang Karpo), which focuses on the central building of the complex stands, the Red Palace (Potrang Marpo). Given the wealth of objects ranging from a visit to hardly anything in order to undertake, and only the hefty admission price of 70 yuan, which is raised in the season to up to 100 Yuan may, so stop making a come back. The opening times - official daily 9 to 18 clock - are the ones making confusion, because apparently they change constantly. It is best to inquire prior to a visit with other tourists on the current situation. In high season it can happen that you have to buy the ticket the day before. As best time to visit is the morning when it is in front of Potala excited pilgrims teeming.
The rules relating to Shoot are also rather vague: Inside the palace, it is either really expensive or completely prohibited, while when shooting from the roof or from the balconies hardly seems to be problems.
The Potala was built for different purposes in the past as an administrative center, seat of government, monastery, fortress and the residence of Dalai Lamas of several (from the 5th to the 14th century), the palace from the end of the 16th Century. but only used in winter and spent the summer in the newly built Norbulingka. In the 7th Century, King Songtsen Gampo built the first palace at this point, but it was destroyed by invaders.
Today's White Palace (1645-1648) was created during the tenure of the 5th Dalai Lama, and he served from 1649 as a residence. The Red Palace was begun at the same time, but only completed in 1693.
Both parts of the palace complex survived the Cultural Revolution relatively unscathed, apparently Zhou Enlai ordered the protection of the plant.
Inside the palace
The minibus No. 2 stops right outside the entrance to the huge site. Behind it is the district Shol, once Rotlichtbezierk Lhasa and now a tourist shopping area with a lot of souvenir shops and street vendors. Now it goes right through another gate up the stairs to the Deyang Shar (Courtyard of the White Palace), where also the ticket office. The yard is surrounded by monks' cells and shops, the private quarters of the Dalai Lama are located at the eastern end. The decorated with ornate carvings and paintings official Emfangshalle is dominated by a massive high throne and is (embroidered with religious motifs or painted scrolls) with Mezedhes Thangkas brocade and hung. A passage leads to the adjacent private apartments of the 14th Dalai Lama, which consist of a small audience room, a chapel, hall and his Ruhegejmach. Above the bed hangs a beautifully painted mural of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa his sign the order, which also included the Dalai Lama. On the other side of the foyer are the formal private apartments of the previous Dalai Lamas, but these areas are not accessible to the public.
From the inner courtyard leading into the Red Palace and on the roof, opened the splendid views of Lhasa. Then you can visit one story after another, where you move continuously in a clockwise direction. Behind the first room on the first floor lies the Chapel of Maitreya, the large number of beautifully ornate sculptures set the tone for all other sacred spaces. Dominates the space of a seated Maitreya sculpture, at the time of the 8th Dalai Lama has been prepared and is to contain the secret to filling a consecration of Atisha, a scholar of the 11th Century., Which is due to the resurgence of Buddhism in Tibet. Far left, next to the throne of the Dalai Lama, is a statue of the Great 5th Dalai Lama, which was given immediately after his death in order and allegedly concealed the hair of the famous ruler.
The Red Palace also serves as the final resting place for the 5th to 13 Dalai Lama, with the exception of the 6th, who died during a trip to China and is buried at Qinghai Lake in the province. The tombs of different sizes are not all open to visitors, but are all made of jewel-tipped, vorgoldeten Chorten (traditional Tibetan stupas, which consist of several stages and usually contain sacred Buddhist objects), the individual stages were decorated fantastic. Deep inside the shrines are located in the munifizierten and dry salt preserved bodies of the Dalai Lamas. Upstairs are usually at least the tomb of the 13th or the 8th Dalai Lama open to the public.
As the oldest and most sacred rooms of the Potala apply Lokeshvara chapel upstairs, as well as the meditation cave of the Dharma King immediately below the upper middle floor. They go back to Songtsen Gampo's original structure and are the focus of the worship of all the Potala pilgrims. The meditation cave is easy to miss because they are accessible only via a small hallway from the balcony is. That dark room, the day of the statues of the king and his ministers Tonmi Sambhota and Gawa is filled, served King Songtsen Gampo allegedly for his meditations. At the base of the main column is an ancient furnace, which was allegedly still used by Songtsen Gampo.
On the way to get even lower by the middle floor, the chapels but unfortunately all closed. The remainder are to be visited areas on the entrance level and go from the large, supported by numerous columns from Assembly Hall. The showpiece of the range is the gorgeous Lhakhang the Golden Reliquienstupas with the impressive Chorten of the 5th Dalai Lama, which measures three floors and consists of 3700 kg of golf. To the left and right, the main shrine of two small Chorten with the remains of the 10th and 12 Dalai Lama flanks, while the other stupas to contain both sides of the triple relics of Buddha himself. The visitors left the Red Palace and finally through a door behind the altar in the existence Lakhang line of Dalai Lamas, from where a path leads down the hill to the west gate.
The area around the Potala
The area around the Potala has some nice places. Opposite the palace front extends to the south side of Beijing Dong Road, the People's Park, a mini Tian'anmen Square. There is a Chinese flag, a monument to the liberation and a fighter plane with a few decorative plastic palm trees. A few steps to the West marks a new Chorten in the middle of Beijing Dong Road, the point at which housed the former west gate of the city. Immediately south of the Chakpori hill, once site of the Tibetan medical school, now nurmehr gekreont from a radio tower. The hill offers a beautiful view of the Potala and can be a way to climb that leads from the public toilets after Oeben - you get around to a large, with prayer flags draped tree before verteiln the guards of the radio station further exploration.
Little east of the public toilets at the Chorten a 200 m long path leads to the impressive cave temple Palhalupuk, which was built around an ancient cave. First, one can see on the cliff in the shades of brown and much less interesting Neten temple of Palhalupuk is the smaller white building below. Over a redesigned entrance hall to the chapel one enters the cave, which measures about 5 m2 and King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th Century served as a retreat. It is decorated with lots of supposedly original rock sculptures and houses the main altar an image of Shakyamuni, accompanied by his main disciples. On a small altar in the back right corner of the cave is a white with jewels and happiness loops always (catagen) decorated statue of Pelden Lhamo, the fierce guardian deity of Tibet. Behind the rear wall to the natural jewels of Songtsen Gampo's Nepali wife, Prizessin Bhrikuti be hidden. The location, just a few tourist visitors, but the guards and the monks are very hospitable.
On the north side of the Potala offers Ching-Drol Chi-Ling Park is a beautiful view of the palace and a lake for boating, which arose simultaneously with the palace. The stock of many unkempt trees, the park is accessible from the Lingkor For Road or through a gate at the edge of the farmers' market. stands on an island in Lake of the pretty little temple Lukhang that of 6 Dalai Lama in honor of the King of Naga and built as a retreat for meditation wrude. The legend tells of a park between the builder of the Potala and the king of the Naga (damönische and dragon-like creatures of the underworld), according to which the earth could be put into use now when the Naga in honor of a temple built. To fame of the three-story Lukhang came through his detailed and very old wall paintings in the mid and upper level, which is using only a flashlight can be inspected more closely (with the Absperrdraht seems to be constantly in the way). The rather esoteric images in the upper floor show phases of human life, the journey of the soul after death, and various legends. Much easier to understand are the murals in the middle floor, which would include representations from the construction of the great monasteries of Sera and Drepung.
