Potala Palace - Lhasa - Tibet

Potala Palace, immense religious and administrative complex in Lhasa, southern Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is situated atop Mar-po-ri (Red Mountain), 130m above the Lhasa River valley, and rises up dramatically from its rocky base. Potrang Karpo (completed 1648; White Palace) once served as the seat of the Tibetan government and the main residence of the Dalai Lama; from the mid-18th century it was used as a winter palace. Potrang Marpo (1694; Red Palace) houses several chapels, sacred statues, and the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas; it remains a major pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists. King Srong-brtsan-sgam-po commissioned the building of a palace in Lhasa in the 7th century. Significantly smaller and less elaborate than its 13-square-km successor, it was named the Potala (“Pure Land” or “High Heavenly Realm”) for reasons that are not historically documented, although Mount Potala in India seems the likely source. Tibetan Buddhists acknowledge the Dalai Lama as the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guanyin), a bodhisattva whose home was on Mount Potala. Of more than 1,000 rooms in the Potala, the ones considered most holy are the Chogyal Drubphuk and the Phakpa Lhakhang, remnants from the original palace of Srong-brtsan-sgam-po; the latter houses the sacred Arya Lokeshvara (Avalokiteshvara) statue. More than 200,000 statues and 10,000 altars are located within the sacred complex. #china #china🇨🇳 #chinatravel #chinalife #chinadestinations #chinaphotography #tibet #potala #exploringchina #ilovemylife #potalapalace #dalailama #lhasa #beautifullhasa #itsgoodtobealive #travel #travelling #viajar #viajarfazbem #viajarépreciso #trip #wanderlust #wanderlusting #enjoythelife #travelgram #itsgoodtobealive #culture