The Potala Palace is located on Maburi Mountain northwest of Lhasa, Tibet. It is a famous castle-style building complex and the essence of Tibetan ancient architectural art.
The Potala Palace was built in the 7th century AD by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet for Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty who married far away from Tibet. The Potala Palace, a palace with 999 houses, was built on the Red Mountain in Lhasa at an altitude of more than 3,700 meters. The palace and castle is built on the mountain. It currently covers an area of 410,000 square meters and has a construction area of 130,000 square meters. The main building of the palace has 13 floors and is 115 meters high. It is all made of stone and wood. The roofs of the five palaces are covered with gold-plated copper tiles, and the golden light is brilliant. , majestic and majestic, is the essence of Tibetan ancient architectural art. Known as the plateau temple.
The main buildings of the Potala Palace are the White House and the Red Palace
The White House is the Dalai Lama's winter palace and was once the seat of the former Tibetan local government's offices. It is seven stories high. Located in the center of the fourth floor, the East Youji Perfection Hall (Cuoqing Xiasi Xipingcuo) is the largest hall in the White House of the Potala Palace, covering an area of 717 square meters. It is where the Dalai Lama’s enthronement and pro-government ceremonies are held, as well as other major religious and political halls. Activity venue. The fifth and sixth floors are the regency's offices and living quarters. On the seventh floor, there are two sets of living palaces for the Dalai Lama in winter. Because the sun shines here all day long, they are called the East and West Sunlight Halls.
The Red Palace is mainly the Dalai Lama’s pagoda hall and various Buddhist temples. There are 8 pagodas that store the dharma bodies of Dalai Lamas of all generations, among which the pagoda of the fifth Dalai Lama is the largest. The Xiyouji Perfection Hall (Cuodanusi Xipingcuo) is the main hall of the fifth Dalai Lama's stupa hall. It is also the largest hall in the Potala Palace, covering an area of 725 square meters, and the inner walls are covered with murals. Among them, the mural of the fifth Dalai Lama going to Beijing to meet Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty is the most famous. Above the throne of the Dalai Lama in the palace hangs a plaque inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty titled "The First Place of the Emerging Lotus". Some buildings such as Fawang Cave (Qujizhupu) are the earliest buildings of the Potala Palace left over from the Tubo period. They contain extremely precious statues of Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Chizun and Ludongtsen. The Hall of the Three Realms is the highest hall in the Red Palace. Currently on display are a portrait of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and an eleven-faced Guanyin statue made by the 13th Dalai Lama at a cost of more than 10,000 taels of silver. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama's Pagoda Hall is the latest building in the Potala Palace. Construction started in 1933 and took three years to complete. In addition, there are halls such as the Guru Hall, the Bodhi Path Stage Hall, the Xiangtong Hall, and the Hereditary Hall.
[Introduction to the Architectural Palace]
Building exterior: The Potala Palace is built on a mountain with overlapping buildings. The main building is 117 meters high, with a total of 13 floors and a length of more than 370 meters from east to west. The ancillary buildings at the foot of the mountain include Xue Lao City, Dragon King Pond, etc. It is the tallest and largest palace-style building complex in Shanghai in the world today.
East Courtyard (Deyangxia): It is a flat and broad platform in front of the main entrance of the White House. It covers an area of more than 1,500 square meters. To the west is the main building of the White House, to the east is the school for monks and officials, and to the north and south are housing.
White House Porch: This porch has the door leading to the White House. The four walls are painted with murals. The north wall is painted with the picture of Princess Wencheng entering Tibet. The south wall is painted with the fifth Dalai Lama conferring Sangye Gyatso as the Dis (ruling power) in his later years. ) announcement.
East Youji Perfect Hall (Cuoqingxia Sipingcuo): It is the main hall of the White House and the largest hall of the White House, with an area of 717 square meters and 34 columns. There is a throne for the Dalai Lama on the north side, and a plaque "Zhenxi Suijiang" written by Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty hangs above it. The four walls of the temple are covered with murals of religious stories and historical figures. Important celebrations such as the enthronement of the original Dalai Lama were held here.
West Sunlight Hall: This hall was the Dalai Lama’s living palace built in the early days and is located on the top floor of the White House. It consists of the Miaoxuan Palace of Blessed Land, the Gathering Palace of Blessings and Desires, the Palace of Ultimate Joy, the Bedroom Palace and the Dharma Protector Palace.
East Sunlight Hall: This hall is the living palace expanded by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in his later years. It is located on the top floor of the White House. It consists of Xizu Guangming Palace, Yonggu Fude Palace, Dharma Protector Palace, Longevity Zunsheng Palace and the Bedroom.
Maitreya Buddha Hall (Qiangkang): Mainly houses the statue of Maitreya Buddha. On the left and right are three statues of longevity, the fairy Dundup Dolma, etc. There are other Buddha statues and pagodas along the hall, and there is the throne of the eighth Dalai Lama on the west side.
Golden Summit Area: The Golden Summit Area is located at the highest point of Mian Dara Palace. The Golden Dome refers to the gilded roofs of the Lingta Hall and the main Buddha Hall. There are 7 gilded roofs in total. There are many gilt decorations on the golden domes. Around the Jinding area, there are still decorations such as prayer pillars and prayer flags.
Mandala Hall (Lulangkang): In the center of the hall is the Sangwang Touba Mandala, to the east is the Decho Mandala, and to the west is the Jijie Mandala. Sangwang Touba (intense), Deque (shengle), Jijie (great power) are all tantric deities. There are vividly painted walls around the hall, most of which are Buddhist celebrities, famous temples and religious history.
Shusheng Three Realms Hall (Sasong Langjie): There is a tablet in the hall that reads "Long live the current emperor, long live the emperor" written in four languages: Tibetan, Chinese, Manchu and Mongolian. Above the tablet is a portrait of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. There are statues of Vajra Chan, Tsongkhapa and others around. There are also eleven audio-visual images of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama cast with ten thousand taels of silver in the hall. This is an important Buddhist hall in the Red Palace, where some major events are held.
Changshou Leji Hall (its virtue Danji): This hall houses the throne of the sixth Dalai Lama Tsangyang Xituo, and thousands of statues of Amitayus are enshrined in the niches along the wall. There are also more than 2,000 Buddha statues enshrined in the hall, including the Dharma protector "Egezedi" and the statue of Tsongkhapa.
The Thirteenth Dalai Lama’s Stupa Hall: The Thirteenth Dalai Lama’s Stupa is 12.97 meters high. The stupa surface is wrapped with high-quality gold and inlaid with tens of thousands of jewels. It can be said that there are countless pearls and gems in the world. Various ritual and sacrificial vessels are displayed in the hall. A pearl tower (mandala) made of 200,000 pearls is displayed in front of the seated statue of the 13th Dalai Lama Thubten Gyatso. The four walls of the third floor are biographical murals of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama's life.
Master Hall (Lama Lakang): The hall mainly houses statues of famous Tibetan masters. There are thousands of statues of Zanpu and sages from the Tubo Dynasty in the Buddhist niches, as well as hundreds of pagodas.
The seventh Dalai Lama's pagoda hall: The seventh Dalai Lama's pagoda is enshrined in the center of the hall. There is also a seated statue of the seventh Dalai Lama Kelsang Gyatso, as well as a Buddhist niche, scripture bookshelf, etc.
Holy Guanyin Hall (Pabalakang): Above the door of the hall hangs a plaque "Futian Wonderful Fruit" written by Emperor Tong of the Qing Dynasty. The sandalwood wood statue of Avalokitesvara enshrined in the center of the hall is the deity of Songtsan Gambo. It is a rare treasure of the Potala Palace. There are also many precious Buddha statues and pagodas such as the six-sided alloy King of Yama.
The Eighth Dalai Lama's Pagoda Hall: The hall mainly houses the seated statue of the Eighth Dalai Lama Gyatso Gyatso and his spiritual pagoda. In front of the spiritual pagoda, there are eight auspicious objects, eight auspicious things, seven political treasures, etc.
Ninth Dalai Lama Pagoda Hall: In the hall, there are mainly the Ninth Dalai Lama Pagoda, the seated statues of the Ninth Dalai Lama Longdo Gyatso and Tsongkhapa, as well as scripture bookshelves.
Kalachakra Hall (Duikorakang): There is a gilded bronze Kalachakra mandala in the center of the hall, surrounded by more than 100 statues of Kalachakra gods and calendar masters.
Sakyamuni Nengren Hall (Tuwang Lakang): It houses the statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, with standing statues of his eight disciples on both sides. The hall houses the throne of the seventh Dalai Lama and stores the hand-written Kangyur scriptures.
Infinite Life Buddha Hall (Cai Balakang): On the Buddha's seat in the middle of the hall, there are 9 statues of Infinite Life Buddha and 1 statue of White Tara and 1 Green Tara respectively. The hall is surrounded by murals.
Dharma King's Cave (Qujizhupu): It is a building from the Tibetan period in the seventh century. Songtsen Gampo, who was honored as Dharma King by Tibetan Buddhists, once practiced here. In the hall, there are statues of Songtsan Gampo, Princess Wencheng, Princess Chizun, as well as the ministers of the Tubo Dynasty, Gal Dongzan (Lu Dongzan) and Tunmi Sambuza. The latter is said to be the founder of Tibetan. There are also precious early murals.
Samantabhadra Hall (Gongsang Jizhukang): In the middle of the hall, there is a bronze gilt seated Sakyamuni Buddha on the Buddha's seat, with statues of Avalokitesvara and the fifth Dalai Lama on the left and right.
Xiangtong Hall (Limalakang): The Buddha statues enshrined in this hall are all made of Xiangtong (alloy). There are about 3,000 statues of Sakyamuni and Infinite Light. Among them are statues made in the mainland during the Xuande and Yongle periods of the Ming Dynasty. It can reach hundreds of statues.
The second outline of the Red Palace: known as the outline of painting. The walls around the back are covered with murals depicting the construction history of Dala Palace, the completion celebration of the Red Palace and Buddhist activities.
The Great Hall of Perfection in the West (Cuoqingnu Xipingcuo): The largest hall in the Potala Palace, with an area of 725 square meters and 44 pillars. There is a throne for the Dalai Lama at the west end, and a plaque written by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty "The First Place of the Yonglian" hangs high above it. The hall is surrounded by murals covering an area of 280 square meters. Among them, the murals of the fifth Dalai Lama coming to Beijing to meet Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty are extremely precious works of art and historical materials. The wooden beams and purlins in the hall are decorated with carved hollow Buddha statues as well as various animals and patterns.
Bodhi Lamrim Hall (Langren Lakhang): It mainly houses the seated statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. The hall also houses bronze statues of celebrities from the Gelug and Kadam sects.
Hold the Bright Hall (Rigzin Lhakhang): It mainly houses the silver statue of Padmasambhava, the founder of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. On the east side are 8 statues of Padmasambhava, the founder of the lineage, and on the west side are 8 statues of the transformation of Padmasambhava. There are 8 silver Buddha pagodas in the hall, and the Kangyur Sutra carefully engraved by Sangye Gyatso is stored on the sutra bookshelf.
The Fifth Dalai Lama's Pagoda Hall (Sedongkang): The hall is 3 stories high and has 16 pillars. The fifth Dalai Lama's Pagoda enshrined in the center of the hall is 12.6 meters high. The body of the tower is wrapped in gold skin, which consumes gold. It weighs 3,721 kilograms. The pagoda is inlaid with tens of thousands of various jewels. There are also pagodas of the 10th and 12th Dalai Lama in the hall, as well as 8 silver Buddha pagodas inlaid with various jewels.
Hereditary Hall (Chongre Lakang): In the middle of the hall, the gold statue of Sakyamuni and the silver statue of the fifth Dalai Lama are enshrined side by side. On the right side are the statues of the first to fourth Dalai Lamas. On the west side is the statue of the Eight Medicine Masters. Adjacent to the west wall is the seated statue of the 11th Dalai Lama Kedrup Gyatso and his spiritual pagoda. The Tibetan Tengyur Sutras are stored on the scripture bookshelves on the east and north walls.