By At a glance: Potala Palace
- Location
- Lhasa, Tibet, China
- Built
- 1645–1694 (site used from the 7th century)
- Type
- Palace and monastery · Royal
- Style
- Tibetan
- Commissioned by
- The 5th Dalai Lama and his regent Sangye Gyatso
- Architects & builders
- Not recorded
- Materials
- Stone and rammed earth walls, timber, arga clay roofs
- Size
- About 400 m wide and 117 m above the base of its hill; 13 storeys
Potala Palace: what it is
Tradition says the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built a palace on Marpo Ri, the Red Hill, in the 7th century. The 5th Dalai Lama, who unified Tibet under the Gelug school, began the present building in 1645, and the Red Palace was completed after his death.
The Dalai Lamas lived there in winter until the 14th Dalai Lama left for India in 1959. It is now a museum and a pilgrimage site.
Potala Palace, then and now
Real images only: an earlier view and a recent photograph, each credited and linked to its original file. Switch between them or compare side by side.
Then · c. 1900Now · TodayMove across the image to comparePotala Palace: how it was designed
- 01
Walls that lean like a mountain
The outer walls slope inward as they rise and are several metres thick at the base, giving stability in earthquakes and making the building look like a natural extension of the hill.
- 02
White and red
The whitewashed White Palace housed living quarters and offices; the crimson Red Palace in the centre holds chapels and the gilded stupa-tombs of eight Dalai Lamas.
- 03
Roofs of beaten clay
Floors and roofs are made of arga, a local clay-and-pebble mix beaten smooth by teams of workers, often while singing in rhythm.
Construction timeline
A palace on the hill is attributed to King Songtsen Gampo; a cave chapel from this era survives inside.
The 5th Dalai Lama builds the White Palace.
The regent Sangye Gyatso completes the Red Palace.
The 14th Dalai Lama leaves Tibet; the palace becomes a museum.
A major restoration is carried out.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, extended in 2000–2001 to include the Jokhang and Norbulingka.
How the design changed
Two palaces become one
The Red Palace was built after the White Palace, but its placement in the centre unified the composition so completely that the Potala now reads as one building.
A changing city below
The village and old town at the palace's foot were largely cleared and replaced with a large public square, changing how the palace is approached and seen.
Who built it
The 5th Dalai Lama commissioned the palace; his regent Sangye Gyatso kept the Dalai Lama's death secret for years so that work on the Red Palace could continue. Thousands of workers and artisans, including craftsmen from Nepal and China, built and decorated it.
Where it is
Lhasa, Tibet, China · 29.6578° N, 91.1169° E · Open in OpenStreetMap. Nearest in this guide: Konark (1,198 km), Taj Mahal (1,307 km), Qutub Minar (1,359 km).
1,198 km1,307 km1,359 kmPotala PalaceDrag to pan, use + and − or double-click to zoom, and tap any pin for a preview.
Built around the same time
| Monument | Country | Built | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taj Mahal | India | 1632–1653 (mausoleum c. 1643) | 13 years earlier |
| Himeji Castle | Japan | 1601–1609 (earlier fort from 1346) | 44 years earlier |
| Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) | India | 1581–1604; rebuilt 1764; gilded early 19th century | 64 years earlier |
| Saint Basil's Cathedral | Russia | 1555–1561 | 90 years earlier |
Potala Palace: questions people ask
Who built the Potala Palace?
The 5th Dalai Lama began the present palace in 1645; the Red Palace was completed in 1694 under his regent Sangye Gyatso.
How tall is the Potala Palace?
It rises 13 storeys and about 117 metres above the base of the hill it stands on, at an altitude of about 3,700 metres.
Why is the Potala Palace red and white?
The White Palace held the Dalai Lama's residence and government offices; the Red Palace was devoted to religious study and prayer and holds tombs of past Dalai Lamas.
Does the Dalai Lama live in the Potala Palace?
No. The 14th Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959, and the palace is now a museum.
Sources & image credits
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa
- Wikipedia — Potala Palace
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Lhasa (Potala Palace)
- Current photograph: Potala Palace HQ.jpg by Lhasa Government, CC BY-SA 4.0 — original on Wikimedia Commons · licence.
- Historic image: Mount Mar-bo-ri and the Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tsybikov-Smithsonian-1905-Plate-3.jpg by Gombojab Tsybikov, Public domain — original on Wikimedia Commons.
- Coordinates from Wikidata. Images resized and converted to WebP; otherwise unaltered. Checked October 25, 2026.
More to wander into
- World monument · 1601–1609 (earlier fort from 1346)Himeji CastleJapan's 'White Heron', a maze of gates around a timber keep that survived everything.
- World monument · 8th century CE (mainly under Krishna I, r. c. 756–773)Kailasa Temple, ElloraA complete temple carved downward out of one basalt hill.
- World monument · 1406–1420Forbidden CityTwenty-four emperors' palace, built on one perfect north–south axis.
- World monument · c. 246–208 BCE; found 1974Terracotta ArmyEight thousand clay soldiers, mass-produced yet individual, once brightly painted.
- World monument · c. 518 BCE – 330 BCEPersepolisThe Persian kings' terrace of columned halls, burned by Alexander in 330 BCE.
- World monument · 7th century BCE – 1644 CE (most visible parts Ming, 1368–1644)Great Wall of ChinaTwo thousand years of walls, from rammed earth to Ming brick.
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