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Potala Palace Facts & Worksheets

The Potala Palace is a fortress following the Dzong style of architecture and has been considered a World Heritage Site since 1994.

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The Potala Palace is a fortress following the Dzong style of architecture and has been considered a World Heritage Site since 1994.

See the fact file below for more information on the Potala Palace or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Potala Palace worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

INTRODUCTION

  • The Potala Palace is an example of a Dzong fortress.
  • A Dzong fortress is a unique type of fortress architecture that is usually found in Bhutan and Tibet.
  • The style of the Dzong fortress architecture displays high exterior walls, inside of which a complex of courtyards, temples, administrative offices, and the accommodation of monks are usually found.
  • The Potala Palace is named after Mount Potalaka, which is considered to be the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.
  • The construction of the Potala Palace started in 1645 through the initiation of the 5th Dalai Lama.
  • The Potala Palace measures 1,300 feet east-west and 1,500 feet north-south.
  • The Potala Palace has 13 stories with over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines, and about 200,000 statues.

ARCHITECTURE

  • The Potala Palace was built on the side of Ri Marpo, or Red Mountain, which is also located at the center of Lhasa Valley.
  • The Potala Palace’s design diverts from the usual design of a fortress.
  • The south base of the rock that holds the Potala Palace is a large enclosed space that has great porticos on the inner side.
  • The central member of the Potala Palace is the “red palace”, named thus due to its red color, which distinguishes it from the rest.
  • The south side of the Potala Palace has a lower white frontage that is used to hoist two large thangkas that are joined together to represent the figures of Tara and Sakyamuni.

THE PALACE

  • The Potala Palace is considered the highest ancient palace in the world, with its highest point reaching around 12,300 feet above sea level.
  • The Potala Palace is divided into two parts – the Red Palace and the White Palace.
  • The Red Palace is the taller palace out of the two.
  • The Red Palace is made up of several chapels and was used as a house of prayer by the Dalai Lama.
  • The Red Palace is the part of the Potala Palace that is dedicated to the study of Buddhism.
  • The mausoleum of the 5th Dalai Lama, who initiated the creation of the palace, is located in the western part of the Red Palace.
  • The other palace is the White Palace, which served as the home to ten successive Dalai Lamas and their courts.
  • The White Palace also houses the offices of the Tibetan government, the governmental assembly halls, and other official offices.
  • The golden roof of the Potala Palace is a unique one.
  • The golden roof is placed on top of the Red Palace, which is composed of seven roofs made of gilded bronze.

DALAI LAMA

  • The Potala Palace serves as the place where the Dalai Lama resides.
  • A Dalai Lama is the head of the dominant Yellow Hat or Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists.
  • Until 1959, the Dalai Lama was considered both the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.
  • The 5th Dalai Lama, Ngag-dbang-rgya-mtsho, who is also known as the Great Fifth, was known to have established the supremacy of the Dge-lugs-pa sect over rival orders for the temporal rule of Tibet.
  • The 5th Dalai Lama is also known to have been the reigning Dalai Lama when the Potala Palace was established.

OTHER FACTS

  • Around Lhasa City, no building must be built that is higher than the Potala Palace. This is to give respect to the holy site.
  • The Potala Palace served as the residence of ten Dalai Lamas for over 317 years. In 1959, the Potala Palace became more like a museum after the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India.
  • The Potala Palace houses eight Dalai Lama mummies.
  • There are eight holy stupas inside the Potala Palace, housing the bodies of the 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Dalai Lamas.
  • These stupas are decorated luxuriously with gold, silver, pearls, agate, coral, and diamond decorations.
  • Out of all the stupas, the stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama is the most luxurious and treasured.
  • The stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama is said to be coated with more than 3,700 kilograms of gold and with more than 18,000 jewels.
  • Ever year, just before the 22nd day of the 9th month of the Tibetan calendar, the walls of the Potala Palace are painted by the people.
  • The paint they use for the walls is made of milk, sugar, honey, and some herbs mixed with white lime.
  • In order to protect the Potala Palace, only 2,300 visitors per day are allowed.

Potala Palace Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Potala Palace across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Potala Palace worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Potala Palace which is a fortress following the Dzong style of architecture and has been considered a World Heritage Site since 1994.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Potala Palace Facts
  • More
  • White vs Red
  • Dalai Lama
  • Order
  • Fifth
  • Locate
  • Find
  • Words
  • Your Own
  • Okay!

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Link will appear as Potala Palace Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, January 2, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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