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Potala Palace
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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 storeys 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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