Travels
Lhasa, which means “place of the gods” in Tibetan, is the capital of Tibet and one of the highest cities in the world. At 3,650 meters (11,975 feet), it has been called the “roof of the world.” As such, it is not for the faint of heart, both literally and figuratively, as it may take some time to acclimatize.
The Potala Palace consists of two palaces, the White and Red. The White Palace, shown in this photograph from inside the upper courtyard, contained the living quarters of the Dalai Lama, offices, the seminary and the printing house.
Our intrepid travelling group, who survived oxygen depletion, a sudden sand storm and political correctness, shown here with one of our guides on the far left.
The Potala Palace in Lhasa was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama from 1649 until the current 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, fled to India in a daring escape over the mountains in the middle of winter during the 1959 Chinese invasion. It is now a museum and World Heritage Site. One of the most brilliant architectural buildings in the world, the palace soars 384 feet on top of Marpo Ri, the “Red Hill,” rising more than 1,200 feet above sea level. It is the highest palace in the world and a major centre at the core of Tibet’s monastic community. The 13 storeys of buildings contain over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues.
The Red Palace, painted red to represent stateliness and power, is devoted to religious study and prayer. A central, yellow-painted courtyard known as a Deyangshar separates the living quarters of the Dalai Lama and the monks with the Red Palace. This second palace consists of many halls, chapels and libraries on a number of levels, with many smaller galleries and passages containing exquisite, well preserved artifacts.