POTALA PALACE
This
world -famous architectural wonder is built on the escarpments
of the Red Hill and rises high above the valley floor.The
awesome Potala can be seen from all directions for miles
around.A stronghold probably existed on red hill as early
as the seventh century AD, when king Songtsen Gampo built
a fortress on it for his two foreign wives. He is reputed
to have studied the Buddhist scriptures there after his
conversion from the bon faith.Fires lightening and wars
took their toll, yet 1000 years later two of the original
rooms still remained.The present Potala was built mainly
in the fifth Dalai Lama's reign, between 1645 and 1693.It
became the winter palace in 1755,when the seventh Dalai
Lama made the Norbulingka in to a summer residence. The
Potala remained the center of political and religious power
for the Dalai Lama. With over 1000 rooms , it contained
the living quarters of the dalai Lamas while they lived
and their sumptuous golden tombs when they died. Regent,
tutors and other high Lamas also had apartments in the place,
the Potala held the office of the government, a huge printing
house at the base where Buddhist scriptures were hand printed
from woodblock and seminary to train government officials,
run by the elite order of monks of Namgayal Monastery who
surrounded the god king. Hundreds of elaborately decorated
chapels and shrines, halls and corridors contained thousand
of gilded statue -Tibet pantheon of Buddha ,Bodhisattvas,
saints and demons.The round outside towers were fortifications,
but legend says they are wings to fly the Potala to safety
from a future devastating flood. Beneath the splendid ceremonial
areas of the palace lay a warren of soot blackened cells
for monks and servants, and great treasuries-one for the
Dalai Lamas and regent, and other for the state.Still lower
lay granaries and store rooms filled with pilgrims gifts
and enough yak butter to fuel the Potala countless votive
lamps for years. At the base, carved from living rock, were
the dungeons, the dreaded cave of scorpions, from which
enemies of the rulers rarely emerged.
It consists of a white
palace and a Red palace, with one small yellow portion between
them. White palace was built in the lifetime of fifth Dalai
Lama ,present structure is extended by the thirteen Dalai
Lama in the early 20th century. Fifth Dalai Lama moved from
Drepung Monastery in 1650.His death was concealed for ten
years by the regent who explained his absence as a series
of religious retreats. During those years Red Palace was
built.
The construction of
the Potala Palace was huge undertaking . It is 13 storey
(1000METERS) high, 400mtrs east to west, 350 meters north
to south.Its inward sloping stone walls are on average,
three meters thick, at the base fully five meters.Copper
was poured in to the foundation to help them withstand earthquakes.
So much earth was dug up for mortar behind the red hill
that the pit was turned in to a lake.
