The Potala Palace stands on a hill in Lhasa. Historically it served as a palace, monastery, and administrative center, with a complex consisting of different sections and construction phases.
The White Palace and Red Palace have different functions. Murals, scriptures, and objects inside record the development of Tibetan Buddhist culture and Tibet's history.
Context
The Dalai Lama inhabited an estate at Drepung Monastery known as Ganden Podrang. During 1621 Lhasa was made the jurisdiction of Ganden Podrang by Tsang. During the third month of 1642 Gushri Khan Dhamma King, Holder of the Faith, had taken from the Sde-srid Tsang-pa regime of the Garma Gagyu Sect (Tsang) by military forces the places in Tibet, which was the Land of Wooden Doors, held by that governship; and then offered the thirteen parts of Tibet, which is the whole, to the Dalai Lama. On the fifth day of the fourth month of the Water-Horse year in the 11th cycle the Dalai Lama was made sovereign of Tibet on the golden fearless snow lion throne. Sometime during or soon after 1644, the Dalai Lama, the then regent of Ganden Podrang, and Gushri Khan all decided to build a palace.
The Potala is built on the site of palace Songtsen Gampo on the Red Hill. The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of the earlier palace. One is the Phakpa Lhakhang, the other the Chogyel Drupuk, a recessed cavern identified as Songtsen Gampo's meditation cave. Ngawang Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the modern Potala Palace in 1645, after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel, pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa.
The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete.
Inhabitation
The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion, who is known as Avalokitesvara, or Chenrezi.
The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. Construction lasted until 1694, some twelve years after his death. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694. Kalachakra Mandala was constructed during the 1690s.
Architecture
The Potala has inward-sloping walls with straight rows of many windows at the upper parts of the walls, and flat roofs at various levels. At the south base of the rock is a large space enclosed by walls and gates with great porticos on the inner side. A series of staircases with intervals leads to the summit of the rock. The whole width of this is occupied by the palace.
The central part of the group of buildings is a quadrangular terminating in gilt canopies similar to those on Jokhang Temple Monastery. The crimson coloured central member of Potala is called the "red palace" and contains the principal halls and chapels and shrines of past Dalai Lamas.