TIBET ~ Potala Palace - Lhasa - UNESCO ~

... Beautiful Tibet postcard nr2... a breathtaking palace in the clouds... the Potala Palace is an awe-inspiring, iconic symbol of Tibetan Buddhism and history... featuring stunning architecture, intricate art, and spiritual significance... the number of visitors allowed in the Palace is strictly limited each day... there are over 400 steps to the top... it is still a spiritual experience climbing this many steps amidst pilgrims, despite being a museum-like monument today rather than a living residence... ever since I saw (more than once☺️) one of my all-time favorite movies, "Seven Years in Tibet"❤️(1997) I've been fascinated by this place... their amazing culture, religion and overwhelming nature... with the same great " Paradise Post Office" cancellation... Big Thanks Vincent for two more little gems for my collection! (✿ ♥‿♥)

The first recorded use of the site was in the 7th century AD, when King Songtsen Gampo built a palace here. Construction of the present structure began during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645 and took divisions of labourers and artisans more than 50 years to complete. The Potala Palace is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region and was the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan Uprising and is now a museum. 

The layout of the Potala Palace includes the rooftop White Palace (the eastern part of the building), used for the living quarters of the Dalai Lama, and the central Red Palace, used for religious functions. The most stunning chapels of the Red Palace house the jewel-bedecked golden chörten (Tibetan stupa) tombs of several previous Dalai Lamas. The apartments of the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas, in the White Palace, offer a more personal insight into palace life.

The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Stamps:

Hemudu Archaeological Site, Yuyao, Zhejiang (12-05-1996)

The 21st World University Games, Beijing 

(Issued 22-08-2001)