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Lhasa Tour of
Norbulingka Park
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Norbulingka, meaning 'Treasure Park' in Tibetan, is situated in the
western suburb of Lhasa City, at the bank of the Kyichu River, about
one km (about 0.6 mile) southwest of Potala Palace. The garden
covers an area of 360,000 square meters (about 430,000 square
yards), with 374 rooms inside. It is the biggest man-made garden in
Tibet Autonomous Region.
Construction began in the 1740s. The area used to be wasteland with
wild animals, weeds and scrub which the Seventh Dalai Lama liked and
often visited, and, as a result, the Qing magistrate had a palace
built. Years later, Kelsang Potrang was built by order of the
Seventh Dalai Lama. Later it was used as the Summer Palace for
successive Lamas, where they solved the political problems and held
festive celebrations. After a series of expansions and renovations,
the appearance was improved with potrangs, pavilions, gardens and
woods. It has now been turned into a park open to the public.
Norbulingka consists of several palace complexes, such as the
Kelsang Potrang, Tsokyil Potrang, Golden Linka and Takten Migyur
Potrang. Each palace complex is divided into three sections - the
palace section, the section in front of the palaces and the woods.
Kelsang Potrang, named after the Seventh Dalai Lama, is a
three-storey palace with halls for worshipping Buddha, bedrooms,
reading rooms and sanctuaries. Tsokyil Potrang, when the Eighth
Dalai Lama was in power, is considered to be the most attractive in
Norbulingka. Khamsum Zilnon built during that time is really a
striking pavilion of the Han architecture style, where Dalai Lamas
enjoyed Tibetan opera. In 1922, a wealthy benefactor had Golden
Linka and Chensel Potrang constructed for the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.
Meanwhile, a lot of flowers, grass and trees were planted. In 1954,
the Fourteenth Dalai Lama built Takten Migyur Potrang, which is also
called the New Summer Palace, means 'Eternal Palace' in Tibetan. The
architecture has combined the characteristics of temple and villa
and is more magnificent than other palaces. The exquisite murals in
the palace are well worth a mention and visit. The murals in the
northern hall show the kind, calm Sakyamuni and his eight
contemplative disciples. However, the murals in the southern hall
vividly tell the development of Tibet in comic strips. Norbulingka
both reflects the ethnical, religious features of the Tibetan people
and embodies the architecture style of inland China. It is of great
cultural value and was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage
Site in 2001 as an extension of Potala Palace.
Tour Lhasa
with Great Wall Adventure Club, the best
Lhasa
tour agent to help
you with your hotel booking and transfers.
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