Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s3.t22.3

v1.c7.s3.t22.3

The main building of the Potala Palace has 13 floors, 117 m high, 400 m long from east to west and 350 m wide north-south. The gross floor area is up to 1,38,052 sq m. The exterior façade is painted red, white and yellow which represent, respectively, the solemnity, gentleness and completeness. Its colour and form is of obvious Tibetan Buddhism. Seen from the plane the palace is joined by many rectangle chapels in a complicated structure, while in the vertical direction these chapels are at various levels between different distances. That is clear what is major and what minor. Within the palace, clusters of buildings erecting high, chapels standing towering and brilliance shining, all represent the uniqueness of Tibetan architectures. The imposing force and grand spectacular of the entire palace reflects great wisdom and creativity of the Tibetan people. In the palace there are numerous paintings, carvings, thangka, statues, china and scrolls which make it a treasure store of Tibetan culture and a pearl in Chinese culture, also an important legacy in human history.