Landmark Asia
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is a huge building on a hill in the city of Lhasa. It has a white part and a red part. It is very high up in the mountains.
The Potala Palace rises from Red Mountain in Lhasa, high on the Tibetan Plateau, 3,700 meters above sea level. Its White Palace was finished in 1648 and its Red Palace in 1694. With more than 1,000 rooms, it was home to the Dalai Lamas and the seat of Tibet's government.
Begun in 1645 under the fifth Dalai Lama on the site of a 7th-century royal palace, the Potala crowns Mar-po-ri (Red Mountain) in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. A religious, administrative and military complex of white and red palaces, it became a World Heritage Site in 1994.
Photo: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is in Lhasa, a city high in the mountains of Asia.
It sits on top of a rocky hill. Part of it is painted white and part is painted red. It has more than 1,000 rooms!
The Potala Palace stands on Red Mountain in the middle of the Lhasa Valley, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The palace is 3,700 meters above sea level, on the high Tibetan Plateau.
It is really two palaces side by side: the White Palace and the Red Palace, with many smaller buildings around them. Inside are more than 1,000 rooms. For centuries it was the home of the Dalai Lamas, leaders of the main school of Tibetan Buddhism, and the place where Tibet's government met. Today it is a World Heritage Site.
Britannica calls the Potala an immense religious and administrative complex in Lhasa, southern Tibet Autonomous Region, southwestern China. It is built on Mar-po-ri (Red Mountain), about 130 m (425 ft) above the Lhasa River valley, and UNESCO gives the complex an altitude of 3,700 m.
UNESCO describes the White and Red Palaces and their ancillary buildings enclosed within massive walls, gates and turrets of rammed earth and stone. The complex, UNESCO says, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet; its criterion (vi) calls the ensemble a potent symbol of the integration of secular and religious authority. The Potala was inscribed in 1994; the Jokhang Temple was added in 2000 and Norbulingka, the former summer palace, in 2001, forming the Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa.
- Where
- Red Mountain (Mar-po-ri), Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China
- Altitude
- 3,700 m above sea level
- Rooms
- more than 1,000
- World Heritage Site
- 1994 (extended 2000 and 2001)
From a king's palace to a great fortress
A very long time ago, a king built a palace on this hill.
Later, that palace was gone. Then a leader called the fifth Dalai Lama started building a new, much bigger one. Workers built it for many years.
In the 600s, a Tibetan king named Songtsen Gampo had a palace built in Lhasa. It was much smaller than today's palace, and it was later destroyed.
In 1645, the fifth Dalai Lama ordered a new castle on Red Mountain, where he could live and lead both as a religious leader and as head of the government. The White Palace was finished in 1648 and the Red Palace in 1694. Its high position also made it a strong fortress. Later, from the middle of the 1700s, the Dalai Lamas used it as their winter palace.
Britannica records that King Srong-brtsan-sgam-po (Songtsen Gampo) commissioned a palace in Lhasa in the 7th century, far smaller than its successor; the name Potala probably comes from Mount Potala in India. That palace was later destroyed. Lhasa had again become the seat of Tibet's central government in 1642, and in 1645 the fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso, ordered a new castle to suit his role as both religious and government leader. Lhasa was chosen for its importance as a pilgrimage site and its nearness to the great monasteries of Sera, Drepung and Ganden, and Mar-po-ri for the security of height.
Potrang Karpo, the White Palace, was completed in 1648 and served as the seat of the Tibetan government and main residence of the Dalai Lama; Potrang Marpo, the Red Palace, followed in 1694. Until its use declined in the mid-18th century, the Potala was a major military fortress; from then on it was used as a winter palace. In 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama left Tibet for India, where he has lived since.
Built on a mountain
The palace is built right onto the rocky hill.
Thick walls of earth and stone go all around it. Long stairs and gates lead up. From far away, it looks like it grows out of the mountain.
The builders set the palace right onto the slopes of Red Mountain, so the rock itself is part of its base. Massive walls, gates and towers surround it. They are made of rammed earth, soil packed down very hard, and stone.
The White Palace and the Red Palace sit side by side near the top, with smaller buildings below. The builders chose the hill because being up high kept the palace safe. UNESCO praises how well it fits into the dramatic mountain landscape around it.
UNESCO describes the Potala as a palace-fort complex rising from Red Mountain, enclosed within massive walls, gates and turrets built of rammed earth and stone. Britannica notes that the fifth Dalai Lama's builders chose Mar-po-ri for the security of an elevated position, and that until the mid-18th century the Potala served as a major Tibetan military fortress.
UNESCO's criterion (i) calls the ensemble an outstanding work of human creativity for its design, decoration and harmonious setting within a dramatic landscape, and criterion (iv) describes it as the apogee of Tibetan architecture and an outstanding example of theocratic architecture, of which it was the last surviving example in the modern world. Restoration must follow the principle of retaining the historic condition, and any intervention must be approved by the responsible heritage administration.
The White Palace and the Red Palace
The White Palace was where the leader lived and worked. He had a special seat in a big hall.
The Red Palace is full of small worship rooms called chapels. The walls inside are covered with paintings.
The White Palace was where the Dalai Lama lived and where the government worked. It holds the main ceremonial hall with his throne, and his own rooms are on the top floor.
The Red Palace, higher up the mountain, has many chapels and the tombs of eight Dalai Lamas, covered in gold. Inside the whole palace are 698 wall paintings called murals, almost 10,000 painted scrolls, statues, carpets and objects of gold, silver, jade and porcelain. It also keeps a large library of Buddhist writings and important historical papers.
UNESCO details the White Palace: the main ceremonial hall with the Dalai Lama's throne, and his private rooms and audience hall on the uppermost level. To the west and higher up stands the Red Palace with the gilded burial stupas of past Dalai Lamas (Britannica: tombs of eight); further west is the Dalai Lama's private monastery, the Namgyel Dratshang.
The collections are vast: UNESCO counts 698 murals and almost 10,000 painted scrolls, with sculptures, carpets, canopies, curtains, porcelain, jade, gold and silver work, a large collection of sutras and important historical documents. Britannica counts more than 1,000 rooms; two of them, the Chogyal Drubphuk and the Phakpa Lhakhang, are remnants of the 7th-century palace. Britannica adds that the palace's value was recognized by China's Cultural Relics Commission and that it was spared during the Cultural Revolution.
- White Palace (Potrang Karpo)
- Completed 1648
- Red Palace (Potrang Marpo)
- Completed 1694
- Murals
- 698
- Painted scrolls
- almost 10,000
The Potala today
Today, many visitors climb up to the palace.
Buddhists come to visit and pray there. People take care of the old paintings and rooms.
The Potala is no longer where a government meets, but it is still a very important place. It remains a major place of pilgrimage, a special journey, for Tibetan Buddhists, and visitors come from around the world.
Together with the Jokhang Temple in the old town and the Norbulingka, the Dalai Lamas' former summer palace and gardens about 2 kilometers away, it forms one World Heritage Site. Rules for managing the palace and its many visitors are now in force.
Britannica notes that the Red Palace remains a major pilgrimage site for Tibetan Buddhists. The three components of the World Heritage property are State Priority Protected Sites under China's law on the protection of cultural relics; UNESCO reports that the Potala Palace Management Regulations are in force, measures have been taken for better visitor management, and a World Heritage Steering Committee has been established in Lhasa.
The Norbulingka, built in the 18th century on the bank of the Lhasa River about 2 km west of the Potala, covers 36 ha of gardens, palaces and pavilions; Britannica notes it is now a public park. The Jokhang Temple, founded in the 7th century, covers 2.5 ha in the center of the old town. UNESCO says the three sites together embody the administrative, religious and symbolic functions of Tibet's former theocratic government.
Amazing facts
-
The palace has more than 1,000 rooms.
The Potala has more than 1,000 rooms. Two of them are left over from a palace built in the 600s.
Of more than 1,000 rooms, the Chogyal Drubphuk and the Phakpa Lhakhang are remnants of Songtsen Gampo's 7th-century palace.
-
The palace has almost 700 big wall paintings.
Inside are 698 murals and almost 10,000 painted scrolls.
UNESCO counts 698 murals and almost 10,000 painted scrolls, plus sutras and important historical documents.
-
The palace was once a strong fort.
Until the middle of the 1700s, the Potala was also an important fortress, built up high for safety.
Mar-po-ri was chosen for the security of an elevated position; the Potala was a major military fortress until the mid-18th century.
-
The Dalai Lamas had a summer palace with big gardens, too.
The Dalai Lamas' former summer palace, the Norbulingka, is a garden of 36 hectares about 2 kilometers away.
Norbulingka, built in the 18th century about 2 km west of the Potala, joins four palace complexes, a monastery and pavilions in a 36 ha garden.
Words to know
- palace
- a very large, grand home for a ruler or leader
- fortress
- a strong building with thick walls, made to keep people safe
- plateau
- a large area of high, mostly flat land
- rammed earth
- soil packed down very hard to make thick walls
- mural
- a large painting made on a wall
- pilgrimage
- a journey to a place that is important to a person's religion
Discovery challenge
-
Which city is the Potala Palace in?
In which city does the Potala Palace stand?
Which city's valley does the Potala overlook from Mar-po-ri?
- Lhasa
- Delhi
- Tokyo
Show the answer
Lhasa
Lhasa! It is a city high in the mountains.
The palace stands on Red Mountain in Lhasa, in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Lhasa: the Potala rises about 130 m above the Lhasa River valley.
-
What are the two main parts of the palace called?
What are the names of the Potala's two main palaces?
Which two palaces, Potrang Karpo and Potrang Marpo, make up the core of the Potala?
- The Blue and Green Palaces
- The White and Red Palaces
- The Gold and Silver Palaces
Show the answer
The White and Red Palaces
The White Palace and the Red Palace!
The White Palace was finished in 1648 and the Red Palace in 1694.
Potrang Karpo (White Palace, 1648) and Potrang Marpo (Red Palace, 1694).
-
How high above the sea is the palace?
About how high above sea level is the Potala Palace?
What altitude does UNESCO give for the Potala complex?
- About 100 meters
- About 3,700 meters
- About 9,000 meters
Show the answer
About 3,700 meters
About 3,700 meters. That is very high up!
The palace is about 3,700 meters above sea level, on the Tibetan Plateau.
UNESCO gives 3,700 m for the complex on Red Mountain in the Lhasa Valley.
-
What are the palace's thick outside walls made of?
What materials are the Potala's massive outer walls made of?
Of what are the walls, gates and turrets enclosing the Potala built?
- Ice and snow
- Glass and steel
- Rammed earth and stone
Show the answer
Rammed earth and stone
Earth and stone, packed very hard.
The walls are made of rammed earth, soil packed down hard, and stone.
UNESCO: massive walls, gates and turrets built of rammed earth and stone.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Lhasa on the Tibetan Plateau and describe where the Potala Palace stands.
- Explain that the Potala was built from 1645 as a palace, fortress and seat of government, on the site of an older palace.
- Name the White Palace and the Red Palace and describe what each held.
- Discuss why people protect historic buildings and their paintings and collections.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why do you think the builders put the palace on top of a hill?
- The Potala was a home, an office, a fortress and a place of worship. Can you think of other buildings that do several jobs at once?
- Lhasa is 3,700 meters above the sea. What might be different about living so high up?
Try at home or in class
- Pack damp soil or sand firmly into a small box, then carefully remove the box: see how pressing makes a strong block, like rammed earth.
- Draw two buildings side by side, one white and one red, and label what each part of the Potala was used for.
Key vocabulary: palace, fortress, plateau, rammed earth, mural, pilgrimage
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Potala Palace , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Dalai Lama , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 14th Dalai Lama , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Lhasa , Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.