Cung Potala

The Potala Palace rises above the Lhasa valley as the single most recognized landmark of the Tibetan region and one of the most extraordinary architectural achievements of high-altitude Asia. Perched on the Red Hill above the old city, the vast white-and-red walls of the palace cascade down the slope in a way that makes the building seem to grow out of the mountain itself. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Potala is at once a palace, a monastery, a mausoleum, and a museum, and for travelers it is the unmissable centerpiece of any visit to Lhasa.

The origins of the complex reach back to the seventh century, when the king Songtsen Gampo is said to have first built on this site after establishing Lhasa as his capital. The palace was greatly expanded in the seventeenth century under the Fifth Dalai Lama, after which it served as the principal seat of the Tibetan theocratic administration until the mid-twentieth century. The structure is divided into the White Palace, which housed the living quarters and administrative halls, and the central Red Palace, devoted to chapels, shrines, and the jewel-encrusted funerary stupas of past Dalai Lamas.

Inside, the Potala preserves one of the great treasure houses of Tibetan art. Murals, thangka paintings, gilt statues, and ancient scriptures fill the dim chapels, and the towering stupas of the Fifth and later Dalai Lamas stand as pinnacles of Tibetan funerary metalwork, encrusted with pearls, turquoise, and other precious materials. The walls also carry a historical record in paint, documenting centuries of patronage, religious teaching, and the cultural exchanges that linked Lhasa with the broader Buddhist world.

Climbing the stairways and ramps of the Potala is itself an unforgettable experience. The altitude of Lhasa, at nearly three thousand six hundred meters above sea level, makes the ascent demanding, and most travelers build in rest stops as they move between the courtyards and the upper chapels. The view from the top terraces sweeps across the Lhasa valley, the bending Lhasa River, and the modern city that has grown up around the ancient palace, placing the monument in its full geographic context. For visitors to Lhasa, the Potala is the defining experience.