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| Norbulingka |
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Norbulingka, meaning "Treasure Park", was first built in
the 1740s. As a result of continuous expansion by the Dalai Lamas,
it covers an area of 40 hectares. The Qing magistrate dispatched to
Tibet built the original palace for His Holiness, the Seventh Dalai
Lama who often visited the area. In 1751, the Seventh Dalai Lama began
construction on the Kelsang Potrang as his palace where he ruled and
received officials and high lamas. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama lived
in the Kelsang Potrang during the construction of his new palace.
Construction seldom stopped under the reigns of different Dalai Lamas.
In 1956 the Fourteenth Dalai Lama finished his own palace - Takten
Migyur Potrang, usually called the New Summer Palace. In the past,
each spring a grand procession of lamas would follow the Dalai Lama
to move into the park. Before 1959, common people had no access to
the palace.
Khamsum Zilnon is a very eye-catching building behind the main
gate. It was originally a Han style pavilion and later changed into
a theater where the Dalai Lamas watched Tibetan opera. Tsokyil Potrang
is a group of buildings on water. Dalai Lamas used to read in a
hall of the palace. In 1922, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama began construction
on his Golden Lingka and Chensel Potrang, which are located at the
back of the woods. Various flowers, grasses, and trees surround
the palace which was heavily painted with murals, bearing strong
Han characteristics. Takten Migyur Potrang, meaning "Eternal
Palace" in Tibetan, was completed in 1956 for the Fourteenth
Dalai Lama. Though it is called the New Summer Palace, it is a very
traditional architecture except for its interior modern facilities.
In the palace there are many splendid murals painted by a Fourteenth
Dalai Lama's painter. The topics of the murals are vast, including:
Tibetan officials, Sakyamuni preaching under a Bodhi tree, Tibetan
history from its founding by the Holy Monkey, the vicissitudes of
the Tubo Kingdom (633-844), Tibetan Buddhism, and the Panchen Lama's
and Dalai Lama's interviews with Chairman Mao Zedong in Beijing.
The present Dalai Lama's private apartment is also on view, remaining
untouched. In a little sutra hall, there is a Dalai Lama's throne
which is wrapped in gold foils and decorated with gems. |
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