World Religion CPT
Holy Sights
1st Holy Sight - Potala Palace (Lhasa)
The Potala Palace in Lhasa was the primary residence of the Dalai Lama until 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala after a failed uprising. Today the Potala Palace is a state museum, a popular tourist attraction and a World Heritage Site. It was also recently named one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World" by the television show Good Morning America and the newspaper USA Today. This hilltop site above the city of Lhasa originally hosted the meditation retreat of King Songtsen Gampo, who built the first palace there in 637 in order to greet his bride Princess Wencheng of China.
In 1645, the construction of the present palace began under the fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsand Gyatso, an important figure in Tibetan history. He unified Tibet and is known as the "Great Fifth". The White Palace was completed in 1648, after which it was used as winter quarters by the Dalai Lama. Built on a rocky hill overlooking the city of Lhasa, the Potala Palace has a sturdy fortress-like appearance. It contains more than a thousand rooms spreading over an area of 1,300 feet by 1,000 feet. The stone walls are 16 feet thick at the base, but more finely constructed in the upper stories.The Potala Palace is made of two main parts, easily distinguished by their color: the Red Palace and White Palace. The two are joined by a smaller, yellow-painted structure that houses the sacred banners hung on the exterior for the New Year festivals. The heart of the complex is the Red Palace (Potrang Marpo), painted a deep red and used primarily for religious purposes. Richly decorated with painting, jewelled work, carving and other ornament, it contains several shrines and the tombs of eight past Dalai Lamas. Before the tombs are precious votive offerings, including a pagoda made of 200,000 pearls. Especially celebrated throughout the Red Palace is the fifth Dalai Lama, whose life story is depicted in murals. The most important shrine in the Potala is the Saint's Chapelin the White Palace, which contains a revered statue of Chenrezi, bodhisattva of compassion.
2nd Holy Site - Drepung Monastery (Lhasa)
The Drepung Monatery is located on the outskirts of Lhasa and was founded in 1416. It was once Tibet's largest and most influential monastery, with over 10,000 monks. Today the monastery houses about 700 monks and attracts pilgrims and visitors from around the world. Drepung is known as the site of the dramatic unfurling of a giant rhangka painting
Jokhang Temple ("House of the Lord") in Lhasa is the holiest site in Tibetan Buddhism, attracting crowds of devout Tibetan pilgrims and curious foreign tourists every year. It hosts the annual Great Prayer Festival, as well as all ceremonies of initiation for the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lamas. The Jokhang Temple was founded in 647 by King Songtsen, who was the first ruler of a unified Tibet, and his two foreign wives who are credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet. The temple was constructed to house a sacred image of the Buddha, the Jowo Rinpoche, which Queen Wengcheng brought with her from China as a dowry. This statue is still enshrined within the temple and is the holiest object in Tibet. The temple has been regularly expanded over the years, including extensive reconstruction under the fifth Dalai Lama in the 17th century. Remarkably, however, the core of the temple is still original from the 7th century.
on the hillside known as the annual Shoton festival. Additionally, the Drepung was the home of the Dalai Lamas before the Potala Palace was built in the 17th century. Resembling a heap of white rice from a distance, it was called "Monastery of the Collecting-Rice" (Drepung Gompa) in Tibetan. The first floor of the Assembly Hall holds a magnificent statue of Dalai Lama XIII, perfectlu lit by filtered sunshine and pungent yak butter lamps. Readings of the scriptures are often held here at midday. The second floor houses Buddhist scriptures and the first floor contains multiple Buddha statues and other decorations.
3rd Holy Sight - Jokhang Temple (Lhasa)
