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With its world-wide
reputation, the Potala stands on the Red Hill overlooking the Tibetan city of
Lhasa as a major national cultural monument under special protection by the
government of the People's Republic of China.
The name of the large sacred Buddhist building complex is a derivation from
Samskrit Potalaka which is the mythical mountain abode of Avalokitesvara, one
of the Bodhisattvas (Buddhist saints). In this connection Lhasa is popularly
referred to as Second Mount Potalaka.
At an elevation of more than 3,700m, the Potala occupies an area of more than
360,000m. Its 13-story main portion rises 117m. The whole complex, consisting
of halls, stupa-tomb halls (where the relics of the supreme lamas are
preserved), shrines, prayer rooms, monks' dormitories and courtyards, is
recognized as the world's highest and largest castle palace.
Built against the terraced slope of the hill, the structures combine to from a
huge sky-scraping mass, reminscent of the divine realm above the mortal world.
The granite walls elaborately decorated with soft white thatch, the golden
roofs decorated with big gilded bottles, the splendid curtains and banners,
join to form a unique structural wonder bearing the striking colors red, white
and yellow characteristic of Tibetan architectural art, making the Potala an
eminent example of a constructive technology traditionally Tibetan and Chinese.
As the winter residence of the successive Dalai Lamas, the Potala formerly
served as the center of local Tebetan theocratic rule, hosting the major
religious and political ceremonies since the reign of Dalai Lama V (1917-1682),
at the same time housing the relics of those spiritual leaders.
The earliest project for the Potala started in A. D. 631 under Tibetan King
Srang00brtsan-sgam-po (617?-650), which included 999 royal rooms plus a
meditation chamber. That building was eventually destroyed by The Buddha of
Medicines's",
"The Great Gradual Path" (Lamring Lhakhang),
"The True Word" (Rigzin Lhakhang), and
"The Sacred Succession" (trungrab Lhakhang).
Subordinate constructions to the Potala include the Lam-rgyal Abbey, the Senior
Seminary, the monks' dormitories and the eastern and western courtyards on the
hill, while at the foot of the hill stands the houses once occupied by the local
ogvernment bureaus and institutions, the printing press for Buddhist cannonical
writings as well as a jail, the stables and the backyard garden.
Through more than 300 years the Potala has accumulated an enormous
collection of monuments and relics. There are murals covering totally more than
2,500m, nearly 1,000 stupas, about 10,000 statues and as many thang-ka
paintings, the religious library there includes puttra-leaf scriptures and the
Bka'-'gyur (Buddhas's Teachings) volumes.
There are also a unique collection of golden diplomas and jade seals granted to
successive Dalai lamas by Chinese Ming (1356-1644) and Qing (1644-1911)
emperors to re-affirm the official ties between the local Tibetan
administration and the central Chinese government. And the gold and silver
artifacts, porcelain vessels, enamelwork, jadeware, brocade and other
handicraft articles preserved in the Potala are enormous and richly
diversified.
Since 1959 the central committee of the Chinese Communist Party and China's
State Council have mad earnest efforts to repair and protect the Potala. While
there have always been annual allocations for the mainainences, special funds
were granted to Tibet in 1988 for large-scale repair. The project started in
October of the following year. The 5-year fraternal cooperation of the Tibetan
and Han engineers and builders led to the final success of the project and the
Potala's consequent re-emergence as a national cultural monument to attract
increasing numbers of Chinese and foreign visitors.