Lhasa - Tibet - page 114

The 1st floor has been closed to visitors for years and is unlikely to reopen soon.
Ground Floor
As you round the steps on the ground floor, enter the beautiful assembly hall , which is
the largest hall in the Potala and is its physical centre. Note the fine carved pillar heads.
The large throne that dominates one end of the hall was the throne of the sixth Dalai Lama.
Four important chapels frame the hall.
The first chapel on this floor is the Chapel of Lamrim . Lamrim means literally 'the
graduated path', and refers to the graduated stages that mark the path to enlightenment.
The central figure in the chapel is Tsongkhapa, with whom lamrim texts are usually associ-
ated. Outside the chapel to the left a fine mural depicts the Forbidden City, commemorat-
ing the fifth Dalai Lama's visit to the court of Emperor Shunzhi in 1652.
The next chapel, the long Rigzin Lhakhang , is dedicated to eight Indian teachers who
brought various Tantric practices and rituals to Tibet. The central figure is a silver statue of
Guru Rinpoche (one of the eight), who is flanked by his consorts Mandarava and Yeshe
Tsogyel (with a turquoise headdress), as well as statues of the eight teachers to the left and
a further eight statues of him in different manifestations on the right. As you exit the
chapel, take an up-close look at the fine wall murals.
In the west wing of the assembly hall is one of the highlights of the Potala, the awe-in-
spiring Chapel of the Dalai Lamas' Tombs (Serdung Zamling Gyenjikhang). The hall is
dominated by the huge 12.6m-high chörten of the great fifth Dalai Lama, gilded with some
3.7kg of gold. Flanking it are two smaller chörtens containing the 10th and 12th Dalai La-
mas, who both died as children. Richly embossed, the chörtens represent the concentrated
wealth of an entire nation. One of the precious stones is a pearl said to have been dis-
covered in an elephant's brains and thus, in a wonderful piece of understatement, 'con-
sidered a rarity'. Eight other chörtens represent the eight major events in the life of the
Buddha.
The last chapel is the Chapel of the Holy Born (Trungrab Lhakhang). Firstly, in the
corner, is the statue and chörten of the 11th Dalai Lama, who died at the age of 17. There
are also statues of the eight medicine buddhas with their characteristic blue hair, a central
golden Sakyamuni and the fifth Dalai Lama (silver), and then Chenresig, Songtsen
Gampo, Dromtönpa (founder of the Kadampa order) and the first four Dalai Lamas.