understand, showing coherently the process of its construction, the people connected to the palace throughout its history, as well as its features, different elements and the arrangement of the various buildings; clarification of its significance is also included.

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The name Potala is a botched translation of a word borrowed from the Sanskrit. In Tibetan it is called the mountain that supports a ship. In Lhasa, a city which lies in the centre of Tibet, the Land of the Snows, there is a mountain which looks like an elephant lying on its side in an awe-inspiring pose. That mountain was a sacred meditation site of King Lhatotori Nyentsen. Later on, at the time of the enthronement of the 33rd emperor, the Dharma King Songtsen Gampo at the age of 13, the capital of Tibet was in Yarlung. Not long after that, the capital was moved to Red Mountain.

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In 641, Songtsen Gampo newly constructed a palace called White Palace on top of Red Mountain. Within today’s Potala Palace there is a place called  The Dharma King’s Meditation Cave which is where Songtsen Gampo used to abide to engage in meditation. Since then, up until now almost 1,400 years have passed.

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White Palace built by Songtsen Gampo on Red Mountain, was later extended by Belsa Tritsun who built another 999 rooms, and together with the king’s apartment at its crest, there were now a total of exactly 1000 rooms. The palace and other structures were all enclosed by a walled rampart.

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Through the ravages of time the building deteriorated. However, that was not the case for the Temple of Avalokiteshvara and the cave of the Dharma Kings which contain holy objects including statues of the dharma king Songtsen Gampo, the Chinese Queen, Kongjo, the Nepali Queen, Tritsun and the Throne Queen Mongza; the Prince Gungri Gungtsen, the Prime Minister Gar Tongtsen, Thonmi Sambhota and so forth. Those statues can still be seen today at the top of the great palace. These uniquely precious relics are all steeped in Tibetan history.

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After the Fifth Dalai Lama took on the political responsibility for the three provinces of Tibet, the foundations of the current Red Palace were newly laid in 1645. From that time onwards, the Potala Palace became the residence for the successive line of reincarnations of the dalai lamas, but it also became the political centre for the Tibetan government, Gaden Phodrang. After the passing away of the Great Fifth, and starting in 1690 and over the next four years, the Regent Sangye Gyatso again renovated the previous White Palace. In addition, the vast Red Palace was newly reconstructed and extended. All these combined to give rise to the extraordinarily beautiful design of the current palace.

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The current Potala Palace has 13 floors, a height of 110 meters and covers an area of more than 130,000 sq meters. The external and internal construction has three excellent qualities:

       1) Not being in an area prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, storms, strong winds etc., thus it is like a firm and strong diamond.

      2) Tall, majestic, and enchantingly beautiful.

      3) Endowed with Tibetan artistic elegance, unique Tibetan qualities, and so forth.

Inside the vast Potala Palace are various relic remains of the successive dalai lamas and moreover there are temples in which countless historical and very blissful representations of the body, speech and mind of Arya Avalokiteshvara reside, as well as those of other deities.

Likewise, there are chambers, a great hall, offices, monks’ cells, a library, a school, store rooms, courts, courtyards and so forth. In brief, the buildings within its enclosure are like a vast prosperious citadel.

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This great Potala Palace, completely beautified by its magnificent design, its height and form, its decorative ornamentation, murals, and so forth convey the essence of wisdom of the incomparable, industrious and resolute Tibetan people. It is one of the most famous ancient constructions in the world.

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Nomadic Song

” The golden roof of the Potala Palace is like the sun before dawn.

The doors and windows of the Shigatse Palace are like a row of stars before nightfall.”