The Potala Palace was built more than 1300 years ago in the 7th century, 117 meters high atop the Red Hill in Lhasa, Tibet. The 13-story world锟斤拷s highest palace is over 3700 meters above sea level and is a rare showcase of traditional Tibetan architecture. This ancient architectural complex is considered a model of Tibetan architecture.
"Lhasa" means 锟斤拷sacred land锟斤拷 in Tibetan, and Potala Palace, the architectural wonder in the center of Lhasa, is the symbol of that sacred land. When the thirty-third King of Tibet, Soongtsan Gampo, was married in 641 to Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty, he had 999 houses built on Hongshan Hill for his bride, as well as the red building at the top of the hill. The Buddhists later named it Potala Palace, meaning the sacred land of Buddhism.
The stone-and-wood-structured Potala Palace consists of the White Palace and Red Palace. The White Palace, comprising halls, temples and courtyards, serves as the living quarters of the Dalai Lama. The Red Palace includes various chambers for worshipping Buddha and chambers housing the eight stupa that contain the remains of fifth through thirteenth Dalai Lama. All the stupas are covered with gold foil. The most magnificent stupa belongs to the fifth Dalai Lama. It is 14.85 meters tall and inlaid with pearl and jade. The palace also collected a large number of sculptures, murals, scripture and other valuable cultural relics.
In 1994, the Potala Palace joined the list of world cultural heritage sites.
