The Potala

Text From Lonely Planet Tibet, page 150-152:

The Potala is Lhasa's cardinal landmark and a structure that deserves a place as one of the wonders of eastern architecture.  It looks best from a distance and can be viewed and photographed from various places around town.

The Potala is a structure of massive proportions, an awe-inspiring place to explore, but still many visitors come away slightly disappointed.  Unlike the Jokhang, which hums with activity, the Potala lies dormant like a huge museum, and the lifelessness of the building constantly reminds visitors that the Dalai Lama has been forced to take his government elsewhere.

History

Marpo Ri, the 130m high "Red Hill" that commands a view of all of Lhasa, was the site of King Songsten Gampo's palace in the 7th century, long before the construction of the present-day Potala.  Ther eis little to indicate what this palace would have looked like, but it is clear that royal precedent was a major factor in the fifth Dalai Lama's choice of this site when he decided to move his seat of his Gelugpa government from Drepung Monastery to more spacious quarters.

Work began first on the Potran Karpo, or White Palace, in 1645.  The nine story structure was completed three years later, and in 1649 the fifth Dalai Lama moved from Drepung Monastery to his new residence.  However, the circumstances surrounding the construction of the larger Potrang Marpi, or Red Palace, are subject to some dispute.  It is agreed that the fifth Dalai Lama dies in 1682 and his death was concealed until completion of the Red Palace 12 years later in 1694.  In some accounts, the work was initiated by the regent who governed Tibet from 1679 to 1703 and foundations were laid in 1690 (after the fifth's death).  In other accounts, the Red Palace was conceived by the fifth Dalai Lama as a funerary chörten and work was well under way by the time of his death.  In any event, the death of the fifth Dalai Lama was not announced until he was put to rest in the newly completed Red Palace.

There is some scholarly debate concerning the Potala's name.  The most probable explanation is that it derives from the Tibetan name for Avalokiteshvara's Pure Land, also known as Potala.  Given that Songtsen Gampo and the Dalai Lama are maintained to be reincarnations of Avalokiteshvara, this connection is compelling.

Since its construction, the Potala has been the home of each of the successive Dalai Lamas, although since construction of the Norbulingka summer palace in the late 18th century, it has served only as a winter residence.  It was also the seat of the Tibetan government, and with chapels, cells, schools for religious training, and even tombs for the Dalai Lamas it was virtually a self-contained world.

The 13th Dalai Lama undertook some renovation work in the early 20th century, demolishing secitons of the White Palace to expand some chapels.  The Potala was also shelled briefly during the 1959 popular uprising against the Chinese.  Fortunately, and miraculously, the damage was not extensive.  The Potala was also spared during the cultural revolution, reportedly at the insistence of Zhau Enlai (a Chinese leader), who is said to have deployed his own troops to protect it.