Saturday, May 2, 2009

Potala Palace--Lhasa, Tibet

Dalai Lamas from across the centuries have lived here and are buried here at Potala Palace. The original site was used by King Songtsen Gampo who built the first palace in 637 as a nuptial palace for his Tang Dynasty bride, Princess Wen Cheng

The red parts of the building are for prayer, the white parts for residences. Only a handful of monks live here and maintain this place today, and much of it is open to Tibetans for traditional worship. 

(Photo: Potala from the front. It's current form was built in 1600s.) 
(Photo: This young man traveled 1300 miles around Tibet using a form of prostration locomotion, a means of cleansing his soul of sins previously committed.) 
(Photo: This "Blue Meanie" guards the door at Potala Palace, along with 3 or four of his demon "friends" who ward off evil spirits before they can enter the Dalai Lama's palace.) 
(Photo: Prior to 1959, when the Dalai Lama fled Tibet, he would appear at the Yellow Level of this inner courtyard, located high inside the palace walls, to enjoy dances and rituals of worship.) 

(Photo: Each prayer wheel contains sacred blessed scriptures. As you walk passed, you "spin" each prayer wheel to symbolize your incantation of the scriptures within.) 

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