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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 thunderbolts and
wars.
Dalai Lama V, in his effort to consolidate his theocracy,
entrusted in 1645 Bsod-glan-rab-den, his minister, with
the rebuilding of the portion known as the White Palace
of the Potala and also the enclosures, towers and turrets.
When the project was completed, the patriarch moved his
government to the new building from Bras-spungs Monastery.
Later in 1690 Prime Minister Bsam-rgya-mtsho enlarged
the Red Palace as a part of his project to build Dalai
Lama V's stupa-tomb. The extension was eompleted in 1693,
which was to be followed by new projects sponsored by
later Dalai Lamas, including 5 golden roofs and a number
of accessory structures.
The Potala assumed its present form and scale in 1936
when Dalai Lama XIII's (1870-1933) stupa-tomb was completed.
The main portion of the Potala contains the White Palace
and the Red Palace.
The 7-storey White Palace, Dalai Lamas' winter residence,
also housed the former local Tibetan government. There
the most spacious hall, the eastern Audience Hall (Sishe
Phuntsok) occupies a central area of 717m on the 4th floor.
It was there that the Dalai Lamas were enthroned as supreme
Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader and the region's temporal
ruler.
The 5th and 6th floors bore government offices and rooms
for the officials.
Two particular apartments on the top floor, reserved for
the Living Buddhas, were known as Eastern and Western
Sunshine Apartments for their long access to sunlight.
In constrast with the White Palace, the Red Palace consists
mainly of the supreme primates' stupa-tombs and the shrines.
Of the 8 stupa-tomb halls, the most magnificent is that
for the cult of Dalai Lama V. To the west his memorial
hall, the Western Audience Hall, covers 725m to be the
largest hall in the Potala. Of the extensive murals there
the most notable one shows the patriarch's audience with
Chinese Emperor Shunzhi (reigned 1644-1661) in Beijing.
A tablet overhanging the patriarch's throne bears a Chinese
phrase meaning literally "The Source of Lotus Flowers"
written by Chinese Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) himself.
The phrase is a metaphoric reference to the Buddhist paradies.
The Dharma-raja's Cave (Chogyal Dupup) and several other
apartments dating back from the reign of the Tu-bō Dynasty
(629-846)are the earliest Potala structures extant. They
house a valuable collection of statues, including the
sculptural representation of King Srang-brtsan-sgam-po,
his consorts Princess Wencheng and Princess Khri-btsun
and his prime minister Blon-stong-btsan-po.
As the most elevated hall in the Red Palace, "The
Best of the Three Realms" (Sasum Namgyal) accomodates
the image of Chinese Emperor Qianlong and the statue of
11-face avalokitesvare cast in more than 10,000 ounces
of silver as commissioned by Dalai Lama XIII. The remains
of that spiritual leader are preserved in a stupa in the
neighboring hall. Construction of that hall, begun in
1933, was not completed until three years later. Thus
it is the newest hall in the whole complex.
The names of other sanctuaries include
"The Prominent Master's" (Lama Lhakhang),
"The Example of Samantabhadra" (Kunzang Jedokhang),
"The Wheel of Time" (Dukor Lhakhang),
"Sakyamuni of Loving Kindness" (Thupwang Lhakhang),
"Sakyamuni of Virtues" (Zegya Lhakhang), |
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"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.
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