potala palace

The mysterious Potala Palace in the heart of Lhasa is one of the main cultural sites under the state protection. It was built in the seventh century during the reign years of Tibetan King Songzain Gambo. This more than 1,300-year-old palace is the largest and intact group of ancient buildings in Tibet. As the official residents of the Dalai Lamas, the Potala Palace was a political and religious center of Tibet.

The Potala Palaxe is more than 3,700 meters above sea level, the highest of its kind in the world. Standing on the Red Hill in ancient city Lhasa, it is a rare example of architecture in traditional Tibetan and Han styles. The palace is 117.19 meters from south to north, covering an area of 360 meters from east and 270 meters from south to north, covering an area of 360,000 square meters.

It is composed of Red and White Palace, with the white one in the middle and red ones on either side. This magnificent palace is also a castle and monastery.

A statue of Songzain Gambo. In early seventh century, he carried forward his father’s cause and united the many tribes inhabiting the Tibetan Plateau, while Tang emperor unified the Central plains.

He was the most important and famous king in Tibetan history. For consolidation and unification, he adopted a series of effective measure. He made Lhasa the capital, built the Potala Palace, established administrative districts and military service systems, publicized Buddhism and created written characters.

14 Princess Wen Cheng. In 641, the king of Tibet married Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty,

When entering Tibet Princess Wen Cheng carried with her a lot of Buddhist scriptures, statues of Buddha, medical and historical books, seeds of crops, architectural and brewing skills, textiles, embroidery, and the Tang imperial music and dances. All these played a pioneering role in development of local economy, culture, Buddhism and medicines.