Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
reinforce the historical connections between China and Tibet. Tibetans claim that most ex-
hibits are fakes.
Deyang Shar
COURTYARD
Entry to the Potala is up two steep access ramps that will soon leave you wheezing in the
oxygen-depleted air. The stairs lead past the ticket office to the large Deyang Shar, the ex-
ternal courtyard of the White Palace. At the top of the triple stairs leading up to the White
Palace look out for the golden handprints of the fifth Dalai Lama on the wall to the left.
Murals to the north depicting Songtsen Gampo's original Potala, the construction of the
Jokhang and the transfer of the Jowo Sakyamuni statue there. The beating of the two
horse-skin drums here once marked the evening closure of the Potala's gates.
White Palace
PALACE
As you arrive on the roof, head right for the private quarters of the 13th and 14th Dalai La-
mas. The Dalai Lamas would have watched festival dances performed in the courtyard be-
low from the hidden balconies of these personal chambers.
The first room you come to is the
throne room
(Simchung Nyiwoi Shar), where the
Dalai Lamas would receive official guests. The large picture on the left of the throne is of
the 13th Dalai Lama; the matching photo of the present Dalai Lama has been removed.
There are some fine murals here, including of the Chinese Buddhist mountain Wǔtái Shān
and the mythical paradise of Shambhala on either side of of the entry, and a depiction of
Bodhgaya (where the Buddha achieved enlightenment) at the far exit.
The trail continues clockwise into the
reception hall
(Dhaklen Paldseg). Next comes
the
meditation room
, which still displays the ritual implements of the present Dalai Lama
on a small table to the side of the room. Protector gods here include Nagpo Chenpo (Ma-
hakala), the Nechung oracle and Palden Lhamo. The final room, the
study
of the Dalai
Lama (Chimey Namgyal), has some personal effects of the Dalai Lama on show, such as
his bedside clock. The mural above the seat is of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa
order of which the Dalai Lama is the head. The locked door leads into the Dalai Lama's
bedroom.
