The Potala Palace, a pearl on the plateau The construction of the world famous Potala Palace was started in the 7th century during the time of the Tubo King srontsan gampo. on the top of Mt. Putup, it is looming over the whold Lhasa city. As high as 110m, the Potala Palace consists of two palaces-the Red Palace and the White Place.. With over 1000 rooms, the 1 storeyed palae covers an area of 10,000 square metres. it witnessed the life of the Dalai Lamas and the important political and religious activites in the past centuries. There are grand palaces within palaces. the Palace stands up so high that it resembles a magnificent castle in the heaven. It makes itself a good example of the ancient tibetan culture and architecture. The statues of the Tubo King Srongtsan gamoi and his wife Princess Wen Cheng are being worshipped in the Palace. Among the 8 tomb pagodas of the Dalai Lamas, the 5th tomb is the mst extravagant. It stands as high as 14m and used 11,000 ounces of gold in its gold plating. the designs and decorations on them all are inlaid with diamonds, peals, turquoises, agates, corals etc. There also stored the world treasre-the gold hand-written Buddhist scriptures, valuable gifts from the Chinese emperors and a lot of pricless antiques. You will be amazed by the colorful sculptures and paintings. The Potala Palace deserves the title of art gallery and museum. It is a symbol of the wisdom and power of the Tibetan people.