Potala Palace
布达拉宫
Potala Palace, situated on the Hongshan Hill in Lhasa, means "the Sacred Palace of Buddhism" in Sanskrit. It was built in the 7th century by King Songtsan Gambo for his bride, the Princess Wencheng of the Han nationality, and was enlarged and renovated to the present scale by the successive Dalais. The 13-story palace, 117 meters high, 360 meters from east to west and 130,000 square meters in area, was constructed completely by stone and wood. It includes temple, seminary chanting hall, dormitory, mourning hall, yard and so on. The eight mourning halls house the stupas of several Dalai Lamas, which are covered with gold leaf and studded with jewels. Enormous precious historical relics and frescos on various themes are kept in the building. Potala Palace was the winter residence of Dalai Lamas. The imposing grand building was constructed on the slope of the hill, which demonstrates the characteristics of Tibetan archietcure and a combined style of Tibetan and Han cultures.
布达拉官位于拉萨市的玛布日山上。布达拉，梵语意为“佛教圣地”。始建于公元7世纪，为吐蕃赞普松赞干布迎娶文成公主而建。后经历世达赖的扩建和修筑，形成今日规模。布达拉宫主体楼房13层，高117米，东西长360米。建筑面积13万平方米、全部为石木结构。内有宫殿、佛堂、习经室、寝官、灵堂殿、庭院等。有历代达赖喇嘛灵堂八座，塔身以金皮包裹，宝玉镶嵌，辉煌壮观。各殿墙壁绘有题材丰富的壁画，宫内还存有大量珍贵文物。布达拉官为历代达赖喇嘛的冬官。全部建筑依山势垒砌，体现了藏式建筑的特色和汉藏文化融合的风格。