| Potala Palace is located on Marpo Ri Hill in | | | | was virtually in ruins. In 1645 the fifth |
| Lhasa at an altitude of 3700 meters (12,100 | | | | Dalai Lama had the palace rebuilt and made it |
| feet). The name Potala seems to have been | | | | his residence. The palace soon became the |
| inspired by Mount Potalaka, said to have been | | | | center of Tibetan power and politics. Then |
| home to Bodhisattva Avanlokitesvara.The | | | | the 13th Dalai Lama added extensively to the |
| palace served as the residence of the Dalai | | | | palace and increased it to its current size |
| Lamas until the 14th one moved to India. The | | | | of 32 acres. |
| palace is now a museum, its doors open to the | | | | |
| general public. | | | | Potala Palace is magnificent, both in size |
| | | | and beauty. It's divided into two main |
| The palace was built by King Songtsen Gampo | | | | sections, the White Palace and the Red |
| in 637 as a place to receive his Tang wife | | | | Palace. The former was the residence of the |
| Wen Cheng, but it was done on a much smaller | | | | Dalai Lamas while daily administration was |
| scale than the current palace, and by 1645 it | | | | carried out in the latter. |