Lhasa is "the habitat of the gods", it was chosen by Tibetan kings as the capital of the state. Until now, the researchers of Central Asia cannot solve all the secrets of the city to the end. A centuries-old building - Potala Palace belongs to the mysteries of Lhasa. With its beauty and greatness, he is striking people no one hundred years. Every year, thousands of tourists are striving for the pilgrimage of Buddhists.

Lhasa city. Potala Palace - Main Landmark

The Chinese city of Lhasa is located in the valley of the beautiful River Gich, which flows over the sea level of Lhasa is at an altitude of 3680 meters. For many years there was a residence of the Dalai Lama. Only in 1979 the city became available to visit tourists, until this time, the entrance to foreigners was closed here. Barkhor Street is greatly held through the center. If you believe the legends, there was a lake in the center of this ring, in him died for the townspeople live calmly, the lake fell asleep, and at this place was built a monastery of Jokhang. In the old town of Lhas, there are many valuable monuments of history: the monasteries of sulfur, Drepung, Ganden, but the most significant can be called the Tibetan Palace Potala. For many years, he surprises visitors with its unusual, rare architecture, magnificent style. To admire the beauty and uniqueness of the palace, thousands of travelers arrive in Tibet. Potala - - located on a red hill, which is surrounded by the Lhana Valley.

Potala Palace, Tibet: History of Construction

As the legend says, initially Potala Palace in the VII century erected the king of Sronzanbambo. The construction was built for Princess Wencheng, his future wife. The building spread out of the foot to the top of the mountain, it combined thousands of buildings made in Tibetan style. In the days of the hostilities of those years, the Tuffan Dynasty fell, and many halls of the palace were simply destroyed. Over time, natural cataclysms also influenced the condition of the walls of the structure. Reconstruction began only in 1645. At that time, the Zing Government determined the ruler of Tibet - the Dalai Lama of the fifth. Palace and became his residence.

Considered Palace Potala from two parts - white and red. The White Palace was built in 1653, and in 1694 finished the construction of red. The complete height of the structure from the ground, stone, the tree was 117 meters. The width of the Palace is 335 meters. Thirteen floors occupy more than 130 thousand square meters, now the entire area occupies 360 thousand square meters. The palace includes more than 1,100 rooms and halls, 200 thousand of various sculptures, more than 10 thousand chapels.

Description Palace Potala

Consider in more detail what the Potala Palace looks like. As mentioned above, it consists of the spirit of pieces - white and red. In the White Palace there are rests of the Dalai Lama, the Red Palace serves as a place of service. In internal courtyard Built household premises and celi monks. It is best to start the inspection of the Red Palace from the upper rooms, in particular from the chapel of Maitrei. The inputs in the chapel are located on the lowest tier. The western part is occupied by the tombs of Dalai Lam, here are the official premises of the government. In the sunny pavilion, he lived, worked, wrote the sacred texts of the Dalai Lama, was engaged in control. The big pavilion was used for official ceremonies. The Pabalakan Hall and Fa-Wan Cave, which is considered a special part, remained from the facilities of the VII century.

Raising on Potal. Interesting places

The sacred place at Buddhists is Potala Palace, Tibet annually takes thousands of pilgrims. Raising the palace begins at the foot of the mountain from the blast wall. The winding stone path will lead to the eastern gate, which depict four Alohani. You can get into the pavilion through the palace wall, its height is four meters.

In the middle of the way, a huge terrace appears to the eyes, its area is 1600 square meters. From here, Dalai Lama appealed to the believers gathered here. Further, on the corridor you can climb into the largest pavilion - the expansion of the civy. It was here that in 1653 religious solemn ceremonies were held when the emperor Shunzhzhi complained to Dalai Lama Fifth Golden Printing and Literacy. At the same time, his construction occurred in the rank of saints.

Everywhere, where Potala Palace was depicted, there is a part where there are eight tolls, the so-called pathodas. The most luxurious and large is the Pagoda of the Dalai Lama Fifth. It is covered with leaf gold, spent 3721 kg. Incrucified tomb of rare precious stones.

The largest and most ancient part of the palace

The largest pavilion of the surname store stores on which the inscriptions of the Qing emperor Qianlong and amazing curtains donated by the emperor Kansey. The legend says: In order to seize these curtains, a special workshop was built, there was a whole year for the manufacture of them. The pavilion was considered the most ancient part of the palace. It is here that many years are kept the sculptures of the great king of the Sronzanbambo, all the dignitaries and princesses of Wencheng. Sasronlazze is the highest pavilion, the victims of the memorial plates and the image of the emperor Qianlong were brought.

Beauty Potala Palace

Potala Palace appears before the gaze of travelers as a majestic, indescribable beauty building. Golden roofs, granite walls, elegant eaves with gilded decorations give the structure fabulous, fantastic image. On color wall paintings - drawings of Buddha and Alohanes, truthful reproduction of life, the activities of the Dalai Lama of the fifth. Also reflected the solemn entry of Princess Wencheng in Tibet. Painting reflects all the development of Buddhism, ancient Tibetan culture. The oldest architectural ensemble - Potala Palace - is an unbreakable symbol of Tibet, the fruit of the mind, the talent of the Chinese people. He testifies to the cultural union between Hans and Tibetans.

Potala Palace (Potala Palace) in lhasa city in Tibet — tsarsh Palace and buddhist temple complex was basic Residence of the Dalai Lama. Located at an altitude of 3767 meters above sea level. No palace of the world is located so high as Potala. The palace received its name from the name sacred Mountain, located in India, where, according to legend, Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvar (Guanin) lives.

According to the legend, the Potala Palace was erected in the 7th century the Tuffan Tsar of Sronzanbambo for his future wife - Tansk Princess Wencheng. Distributed along the mountainside from the foot to the top, it combines 1000 buildings of Tibetan architecture. After the fall of the Tufan dynasty, most of the halls of the palace were destroyed, their reconstruction began in 1645, when the Zing Government approved the Dalai Lama of the Fifth Tibet's ruler. His successors did not stop the work on the expansion of the Palace Palace, and here it appears in our day.

The palace is divided into two parts - the scorcies and the bulb. Grounding in the East serves the residence of Dalai Lam. The sick in the center accommodates Buddhist halls and burial pagodas-stupas. Monks and servants live in the West in the West. Before the scoring is broken place for presenting the image of the Buddha in holidays. The main building of Potala Palace has 13 floors.

Potala Palace - sacred place Tibetan Buddhism, every year he is visited by a great many pilgrims and tourists. Raising on Potal usually begins with a space stele at the foot of the mountain, you can reach the winding stone path oriental Gate. With the image of four Alohanes and through the 4-meter palace wall to get into the magnificent pavilion. In the middle of the mountain, there is a grand terrace with an area of \u200b\u200b1600 square meters. M, where Dalai Lama addressed the believer. From here on the corridor rising in the largest pavilion of the cynous. According to historical records since 1653, when the Qing Emperor Shunzhi Golden Lettering and the seal granted the Dalai Lama Fifth and the Central Government approved his construction of the saints, solemn religious ceremonies are held here.

Main construction part of the bulb Form 8 tumors - burial pagodas-stupas. The largest and most luxurious is the burial pagoda of the Dalai Lama Fifth. It is covered with leaf gold, which was spent 3721 kilograms, and inlaid with precious stones. In the largest pavilion, the mild pavilion is presented by a memorial board with the inscription of the Emperor Qianlong and magnificent curtains donated by the Cinse Emperor Kansey. According to legend, to make these curtains, Emperor Kansey ordered to build a special workshop, on their fabrics left the whole year. From here, through the gallery, you can get into the most ancient part of the Palace - Pavilion Snoyagal, where the sculptures of the king of Sronzanbambo are kept, Princess Wencheng and Sanovnikov. In the highest pavilion, Sasronlazz brought victims to the image and memorial labels of the Qing Emperor Qianlun. After the death of the Dalai Lama of the fifth on New Year's Days on the Tibetan calendar, his successors made sacrifices.

White Potala Palace It is east of the Red Palace, in the White Palace there are a large oriental pavilion, a sunny pavilion, residential chambers of regent and Mentors Dala, official governments.

Big Oriental Pavilion (Tibetan "Zocinya") is the largest pavilion of the White Palace. The important events of a political and cult nature were arranged here, in particular the intic ceremony of Dalai Lam. In the center of the pavilion near the northern wall, the throne of Dalai Lama is installed. On the walls of the pavilion, many frescoes, two groups of frescoes are of particular interest: the frescoes on the topic "Transformation of the monkey in a person" and the frescoes that narrate the story of Princess Jincheng.

Sunny Pavilion Located at the top of the Big Eastern Pavilion. There are two solar pavilions: East and Western. They served by living quarters of the Dalai Lam. Western solar pavilion was built in the late years of the Dalai Lama of the 13th. Most of the year (summer and autumn), Dalai Lama spent in the summer residence of Narbulinka, and Potala Palace served him by the Winter Palace.

It was in this pavilion that Dalai Lama spent the time reading the sacred texts, administrative affairs and life departures. In the Western Sunny Pavilion there were residentials of the Dalai Lama of the 13th, and in the Eastern Sunny Pavilion - the rest of the Dalai Lama of the 14th. In the pavilion, the Golden Buddha statue is kept, the figure of Avalokiteshwares from Jasper, scrolls of sacred suturt, porcelain, a tea device from gold and jasper, brocade blankets and so on.

Red Palace He served as a place of prayers in the name of the Buddha and other cult shipments, the main premises of the Red Palace are pavilions with the memorial stups of the Dalai Lam and the cult rooms of another destination. In total, there are 8 memorial stories in the Red Palace of Potala, of which the stupes of the Dalai Lama of the 5th and Dalai Lama of the 13th are the most luxurious. The size and magnitude of the decoration of the stage symbolizes the contribution to the development of the country and society made by this Dalai Lama. In addition, numerous cult monuments and skilled products made of precious stones and metals are kept in the Red Palace of Potala, the rare editions of the sacred texts, as well as the sculptures of Buddhist saints, the icons "Tank", religious attributes, sacrificial affiliations and so on. In the fresco gallery on the fifth floor of the Red Palace Potala there is a whole group of frescoes that reproduce the episodes of the construction of the Potala Palace.

Stupa Dalai Lama The 5th floor ranks 4th, but she herself is height equals a 5-storey building! This step is 14.85 meters high, made of pure gold, is the highest of the Palace Palace. They say the design and contents of this stupa equals half of the wealth of all mankind.

Granite walls, golden roofs, elegant eaves with their gold-plated decorations make Palace Potala indescribably magnificent and majestic. Colored wall paintings in it are depicting Buddhas and Alohanes, truthfully reproduce the life and activities of the Dalai Lama of the Fifth, the solemn entry into Tibet Tibet Princess Wencheng, reflect the development of Tibetan Buddhism, ancient Tibetan culture. An ancient architectural ensemble - Potala Palace is the fruit of the mind and the talent of the people, the evidence of cultural ties between the Tibetans and the Hans, an indispensable symbol of Tibet.

Numerous pilgrims bypass around the hill with a palace, making a bark - ritual bypass holy place. Along the bark there are numerous prayer drums and trading rows.

– invaluable treasury Tibet, SAMA th high ancientpalace in China, and all over the world, whose height reaches 3,767 m (12,359 feet). He is located on Red Hill - Marpo Ri in the centere Lhasa - and the storm capital of Tibet. Potala got his name in honor of the Holy Mountain in South India in Sanskrit "Abode of Avalokiteshwara (Buddha Mercy)."

The palace was built on the place where the ruler of Tibet Songscene Gampo usually meditated. The first facility was built here in 637. Later he decides Lhasa to make the capital of Tibet and as the legend says, in honor of the engagement with Princess Wen Cheng from the Chinese dynasty Tang (618 - 907) in the 7th century Songszn Gampo builds a 9-storey building - a palace with thousands of rooms.

Later, with the collapse of the Songzden Gampa dynasty, ancient palace It was almost destroyed in wars. The image that we see today is the architecture of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). Potala Palace consists of 2 parts, the Red Palace is the center and the White Palace, located as two wings.

Red Palace or Potrang Marpo. - The highest part of the palace, it is devoted to learning and religious Buddhist prayers.

In terms of ideas, it is a magnifier and strength. The red palace consists of a complex layout of various halls, chapels and libraries at many levels with many small galleries and winding corridors: The Great West Hall, the cave of Dharma, the chapel of the saint, the grave of the thirteenth Dalai Lama, etc.

The Great West Hall - the largest hall of Potala Palace , with beautiful frescoes on its inner walls. Around it is three chapels, the chapel of the East, the chapel of the North, as well as the South Chapel. Dharma Cave and Chapel of the Saint only two preserved 7th century designs with the statues of Songzden Gampa and Princess Wen Cheng inside.

White Palace or Potrang Karpo sometime served as an administrative building of local self-government, as well as the residential premises of the Dalai Lama. The walls are painted in white to convey silence and peace. The large hall of the East on the fourth floor was a venue for special political and religious acts.

The fifth and sixth floors are used as residential premises and registan offices while the seventh floor, the top, is the residential room of the Dalai Lama, consisting of two parts, called the Eastern Chamber of Sunshine and the Western Chamber of Sunshine due to the abundance of sunlight.

Potala Palace has other structures, including schools of Buddhist logic, seminaria, printing houses, gardens, yards and even prisons. For more than 300 years, the Palace keeps many relics of culture, such as frescoes, stupes, statues, tanks and rare sutras.

Palace Potal Nowadays

- Center of Tibetan religion, politics, history and art, and today - a large-scale museum. It keeps in itself more than 2500 square meters of frescoes, about 1000 sts, more than 10,000 sculptures and about 10,000 tank paintings. The collection also includes paintings, wood threads, classic scriptures, gold products, jade and products of local artisans, which reflect the wisdom and intelligence of Tibetans. The burial stupas are built here to keep the remnants of Dalai Lam at the time of their death.


Currently, there are eight luxurious stations, one for each Dalai Lama, except for the sixth, who was removed from this service. The burial stupas differ in size, but have such a structure consisting of the top, housing and base. All stupes are decorated with gold and precious stones. The most majestic of all is the stupid of the fifth Dalai Lama.

It costs almost 15 meters (about 49 feet) in height, and 15,000 pearls, carnelian and precious stones are decorated. The frescoes in the corridors depict historical figures, religious legends, Buddhist stories, folk customs and architecture.

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Hidden from the worldly bustle and noise high mountains globe Tibet since ancient manits travelers. This is one of ancient states The world with its unusual charter and orders, richest history and cultural heritage. And it is not surprising that it is in Tibet that the highest castle complex in the world is - Potala Palace. He received its name in the 11th century due to the grief on which it is located. It is called ENTU, according to legend, it was here for the first time a bodhisattva of Avalokiteshwara appeared, which is considered to be an embodiment of the great compassion of all enlightened (Buddha).

Story of the construction of the palace

For the first time Potala Palace was erected in the second half of the 7th century at an altitude of almost four thousand meters above sea level by the Tufan ruler of the Sronzanzangamp, as the main imperial residence for him and his newly minted spouse Princess Wencheng. Before that, there were already caves for meditation. The entire palace complex, consisting of thousands of halls and rooms, was surrounded by a high fortress wall, and it was possible to enter it through four gates.

During the strongest thunderstorm, most of the wooden buildings of the palace were increasing with lightning.

Only in the middle of the 17th century Dalai Lama V Agvan Lobsan Jamzo decided to fully restore the former grandeur of the palace. As a result, arose grand Complex With inner courtyards, wide stone stairs, chapels, fenced with high walls and occupying an area of \u200b\u200babout three hundred and sixty thousand square meters.

Architecture and interiors

In this reconstruction, about seven thousand builders were involved and another and a half thousand sculptors and artists who created unique statues and sculpture compositions. The central place among them is the statue of the Potala, fully covered with gold and weighing half-bottom. In addition, silver, precious stones and a tree of valuable breeds were widely used in the construction and decoration of the palace.

The fact that Potala Palace is one of the main symbols of Tibet, a treasury of cultural and spiritual heritage of the country, as well as the greatest architectural monument region, contributed to the fact that in 1994 this complex was included in the list of world cultural heritage UNESCO. Today, he is a residence of the Dalai Lama, the place of the most important religious rites and one of the most interesting museums World.

How to visit

The palace for tourists from 9:00 to 17:00, and in the summer months from 7:30. On the day it can be examined by a little more than two thousand people, mainly this group of tourists who bought tickets in advance. As a rule, immediately after closing instantly bought entry tickets The next day, their cost is about $ 11 per person (June 2012).

Tibet, Lhasa (that translated from Sanskrit means "Land of Gods"), the ledge of the rock of Marproi ("Red Hill") - it is here, above sacred City, Palace snatches, called Potala. It was built specifically for the spiritual and political ruler of Tibet, the founder of Lamaism, Dalai Lama V (1617 - 1682).

The building of the palace seems to be an impregnable rock. It is difficult to imagine, but this construction, which has more than 30 floors, was built in 1694, when high-rise houses were not erected. At one time, he, perhaps, was perceived just like skyscrapers in our days.

Palace Potala, towering over the whole city, impresses with his own species even the sophisticated man of the XXI century. The building on the ledge of the cliff with an innumerable number of windows cut down on a snow-white wall creates a feeling of something majestic and almost fabulous.

Location:
Tibet, perhaps, the most mysterious country on our planet. The self-isolation policy was previously characteristic of many Asia countries, but only Tibet embodies it and to date. This, of course, contributes to the unique geographical position. Large Tibetan cities are located at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, and some more than 4,000. Cool passes and discharged air make a trip to Tibet very difficult.

Lhasa is built in a rarefied airspace Himalayas, at an altitude of more than 3,650 meters. Up to the Chinese occupation in 1951, the monks constituted here a major part of the population.

The main building of Tibeta - Potala Palace. This huge structure is clearly seen from afar from different points of the city and especially well - from the top of the Chagpo Hill. Being in Lhas, you catch yourself thinking that it is impossible to take a look from this building. Potala is located 3,700 meters above sea level, its height is 115 meters, the total area of \u200b\u200bmore than 130,000 square meters. There are no accurate data on how many rooms and halls in the sweat. Their number is "somewhere more than a thousand," as tours of guides say. Until now, no person has come to bypass all the premises in this palace.

History:
The name "Potala" comes from the word, which in Sanskrit means "Buddha Mountain". At this place in the VII century, our era stood the Palace of Song-Wall Gampe, dedicated to the Buddhist Tibet ruler.

Starting a century, in 1645, Dalai Lama V, he also Lord Tibet, ordered to build the palace on the site of the destroyed residence. The construction of the first, the lower part of the Potala - the White Palace (Porang Carpo) began. The nine-story construction of the upper part was over 3 years later. In 1649, the fifth Dalai Lama moves from Drepung to his new residence.

The circumstances of the construction of the Upper Red Palace (Porang Marpi), the second, larger in size, the building, to this day remains the subject of numerous disputes. When in 1682, Dalai Lama died, the construction has not yet been completed. About the death of Dalai Lama was silent until 1694, until, finally, the palace was not built. According to some information, the Red Palace was conceived as a mausoleum.

The thirteenth Dalai Lama at the beginning of the 20th century did some work on updating the construction, removing some of the sections of the White Palace, in order to expand part of the chapel. Until the 50s of the XX century, the palace remained the residence of the Tibetan government.

Potala was shelling during a popular uprising against the Chinese in 1959. For a happy accident, the damage was insignificant both during the uprising and in the subsequent years of the cultural revolution.

The palace remained the winter residence of Dalai Lam until 1959, while the current Dalai Lama XIV emigrated to India. For many years, after the Chinese occupation, the palace was closed for visiting, and only in 1980 he was re-opened. In 1985, the last restoration work was completed, which was spent about 4 million dollars.

Features:
The palace was built from the ground, stone and wood with the most elementary means. All building materials people delivered to themselves or on donkeys. It is not difficult to guess that the work was extremely heavy.

To get inside the palace, in shape resembling a truncated pyramid or a trapezium, you need to go through a wide area located on all sides of the building. Only passing through them you can approach the slope, along the entire surface of which many zigzag stairs are scattered, connecting all parts of the palace.

Potala Palace is divided into two parts - the scorcies and the pummage (Red and the White Palace). Summary - a place where the personal rest of the Dalai Lama is located and a solemn ritual ceremony is held. Summary - the abode of monks and servants. Here are the Buddhist rooms and burial pagoda stupas.

In the main part of the building were built by government premises, the rooms of the service personnel, which consisted exclusively from the monks and the monastic school. Previously, there were also rooms for meditation, libraries, weapons chambers, granaries, storerooms, torture cameras and a cake.

Inside the building more than 1,000 different premises, where 10,000 shrines are covered and no less than 20,000 statues. Numerous chapels and sanctoes are filled with statues embroidered on silk by paintings, vessels for Fimiam and other ritual objects. Golden roofs palace, granite walls, elegant eaves with gold-plated decorations give architectural ensemble Splendel and greatness.

One of the main attractions of the Palace is a lot of frescoes depicting various household and ritual stories. Some of the frescoes for a long time were not available for wide viewing. Only at the end of the 90s they were posted in the halls, and now they can see all the pilgrims and tourists who came to Potal.

Many of the frescoes depict the twelve council of God Avalokitershwara and his spouses goddess containers. The fact is that it is these deities that are considered the main patrons of Tibet. For the manufacture of these frescoes, Tibetan masters used agate, amber, gold and silver powder