The Potala Palace rises on Marpo Ri above Lhasa, built between 1645 and 1694 by the Fifth Dalai Lama as residence and administrative seat of Tibetan Buddhism. Its White and Red Palaces hold the funerary stupas of successive Dalai Lamas, one covered in gold and thousands of pearls, until the Fourteenth Dalai Lama left for India in 1959.
At a glance
The Potala Palace stands on Marpo Ri, or Red Hill, above the city of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, at an altitude of around 3,700 metres. Rising 117 metres above the surrounding plain across 13 storeys, it is said to contain 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and some 200,000 statues. The palace divides into the White Palace, completed in 1694 as the administrative and residential quarter, and the older Red Palace, the religious core that holds the funerary stupas of the Dalai Lamas.
It served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas and the seat of Tibetan government until 1959, when the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, left for exile in India. The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994 as the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa; the listing was extended in 2000 to include the Jokhang Temple and in 2001 to include Norbulingka.
Key facts
- Location: Marpo Ri, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China; coordinates 29.6573° N, 91.1175° E
- Construction: built 1645–1694 under the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682)
- Scale: 13 storeys, rising 117 metres above the plain, said to hold 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues
- Funerary stupas: the Red Palace holds the stupas of eight Dalai Lamas; that of the Fifth Dalai Lama stands 3.7 metres high, covered in gold and set with 18,680 pearls, while that of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who died in 1933, contains 590 kilograms of gold and 200,000 precious stones
- Heritage status: UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed 1994 as the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa, extended in 2000 (Jokhang Temple) and 2001 (Norbulingka)
History
The hill above Lhasa has held a palace since the seventh century, when King Songtsen Gampo, who unified the Tibetan Empire and is credited with introducing Buddhism and the Tibetan script, built a small structure on Marpo Ri around 637 CE.
The present palace was begun in 1645 by the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, after he had brought Tibet under Gelug Buddhist rule. The White Palace was completed in 1694; the Red Palace, the older religious core, was rebuilt and expanded between 1690 and 1694.
Fourteen Dalai Lamas have held the title since 1391. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama declared Tibetan independence in 1913. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, left Lhasa on 17 March 1959 after the failed Tibetan uprising, ending the palace’s role as the seat of government.
What you see
Visitors first see the palace from Potala Square, where the White and Red Palaces rise in tiers up Marpo Ri. Inside, a set route of chapels and halls leads through the White Palace’s administrative rooms into the Red Palace, whose chapels hold the funerary stupas of the Dalai Lamas, among them the gold and pearl-covered stupa of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Access inside the palace is on a timed visit with a mandatory guide.
Reaching the chapels means climbing roughly 1,000 internal stairs at altitude, a genuine physical undertaking that visitors are advised to prepare for.
Practical information
- Permits: entry requires a Chinese visa specifying Tibet, a Tibet Travel Permit obtained through a licensed Tibetan travel agency, and a separate Lhasa City Permit; these must be arranged before departure and cannot be obtained on arrival
- Altitude: Lhasa sits at roughly 3,700 metres and altitude sickness is a genuine risk; standard advice is to rest for two to three days on arrival, avoid alcohol, drink plenty of water, and consider medication such as Diamox if susceptible
- Interior visit: access is timed and accompanied by a guide; current arrangements, including any daily visitor limits, should be checked with the official Potala Palace management authority before travel
- Tickets and hours: these change and are best checked through the palace’s official channels rather than relying on published figures
Getting there
The nearest airport is Lhasa Gonggar, around 62 kilometres south of the city, itself one of the highest commercial airports in the world at about 3,570 metres. The Qinghai–Tibet Railway also reaches Lhasa, crossing the Tibetan Plateau at altitudes above 4,000 metres for some 960 kilometres and passing over Tanggula Pass at 5,072 metres, said to be the highest point on any railway line.
Nearby
- Jokhang Temple — the holiest shrine in Tibetan Buddhism, founded in 639 CE by King Songtsen Gampo and home to the Jowo Shakyamuni statue brought from China by Princess Wencheng in 641 CE
- Barkhor — the pilgrimage circuit around the Jokhang, walked clockwise by pilgrims daily
- Norbulingka — the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas, quieter than the Potala
Sources
- UNESCO
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