potala palace pictures gallery Lhasa,Tibet

the Potala Palace was first built in the 7th century, for the wedding of the Tibetan king Songtsan Gompo and Princess Wencheng of the Tang Empire. Built on a mountain slope over 4000 m above sea level, the Potala Palace is known as the Pearl on the Roof of the World. Its construction and furnishing reflect the superb skills of ancient artisans and the great attainments of Tibetan architecture. The Main Building has 13 floors, with a height of some 110 m and a width of about 360 m. It is surrounded by eight temples, where there are tens of thousands of Buddhist statues.

The Potala Palace's halls include worship and pagoda halls, the North Square, the South Square and the Dragon King Pond.in particular, the pagoda for the 5th Dalai Lama, which has a gold covering and is decorated with valuable jewels. Another important building is Qingsha, where the ministers for Tibetan affairs of the Qing Dynasty presided over the inauguration of the Dalai Lamas.