Potala Palace
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Potala Palace is a massive fortress and palace located in Lhasa, Tibet, originally built in the 7th century and rebuilt in the 17th century. It served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas, the spiritual leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, making it a significant religious and political center in Tibetan history.
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Potala Palace (Tibetan: ཕོ་བྲང་པོ་ཏ་ལ་, Wylie: pho brang po ta la; Chinese: 布达拉宫; pinyin: Bùdálā Gōng) is a museum complex in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It was formerly the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, built in the dzong style on Marpo Ri (Red Mountain). From 1649 until 1959 it served as the Dalai Lamas' residence, after which it became chiefly a museum following the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China.
The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, regarded in Buddhist tradition as the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Construction of the present structure was begun in 1645 at the order of the 5th Dalai Lama, advised by Konchog Chophel, the Thirty-fifth Ganden Tripa of the Gelug school. It was built on the site of an earlier palace attributed to Songtsen Gampo (traditionally dated to 637).
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1649 establishments in Asia1694 establishments in Asia17th-century establishments in TibetBuddhist buildings and structures in TibetBuddhist pilgrimage sites in ChinaBuildings and structures in LhasaDzongs in TibetHistory of LhasaHouses completed in 1694Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in TibetPalaces in TibetRoyal residences in Tibet