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The Potala Palace () in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising. It is now a museum and World Heritage Site. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical abode of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.〔Stein, R. A. ''Tibetan Civilization'' (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84〕 The 5th Dalai Lama started its construction in 1645〔Laird, Thomas. (2006). ''The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama'', pp. 175. Grove Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.〕 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa.〔Karmay, Samten C. (2005). "The Great Fifth", p. 1. Downloaded as a pdf file on 16 December 2007 from: ()〕 It may overlay the remains of an earlier fortress called the White or Red Palace,〔W. D. Shakabpa, ''One hundred thousand moons,'' translated with an introduction by Derek F. Maher, Vol.1, BRILL, 2010 p.48〕 on the site built by Songtsän Gampo in 637.〔Michael Dillon, ''China : a cultural and historical dictionary,'' Routledge, 1998, p.184.〕 The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes.〔Booz, Elisabeth B. (1986). ''Tibet'', pp. 62-63. Passport Books, Hong Kong.〕 Thirteen stories of buildings—containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues—soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor.〔Buckley, Michael and Strausss, Robert. ''Tibet: a travel survival kit'', p. 131. Lonely Planet. South Yarra, Vic., Australia. ISBN 0-908086-88-1.〕 Tradition has it that the three main hills of Lhasa represent the "Three Protectors of Tibet". Chokpori, just to the south of the Potala, is the soul-mountain () of Vajrapani, Pongwari that of Manjusri, and Marpori, the hill on which the Potala stands, represents Avalokiteśvara.〔Stein, R. A. (1972). ''Tibetan Civilization'', p. 228. Translated by J. E. Stapleton Driver. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (paper).〕 == History == The site on which the Potala Palace rises is built over a palace erected by Songtsän Gampo on the Red Hill.〔Derek F. Maher in W. D. Shakabpa, ''One hundred thousand moons,'' translated with an introduction by Derek F. Maher, BRILL, 2010,Vol. 1,p.123.〕 The Potala contains two chapels on its northwest corner that conserve parts of the original building. One is the Phakpa Lhakhang, the other the Chogyel Drupuk, a recessed cavern identified as Songtsän Gampo's meditation cave.〔Gyurme Dorje, ''Tibet Handbook: With Bhutan'', Footprint Travel Guides, 1999 pp. 101–3.〕 Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the modern Potala Palace in 1645〔 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (died 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa.〔 The external structure was built in 3 years, while the interior, together with its furnishings, took 45 years to complete.〔W. D. Shakabpa, ''One hundred thousand moons,'' translated with an introduction by Derek F. Maher BRILL, 2010, Vol.1, pp.48-9.〕 The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649.〔 Construction lasted until 1694,〔Stein, R. A. ''Tibetan Civilization'' (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition by Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84.〕 some twelve years after his death. The Potala was used as a winter palace by the Dalai Lama from that time. The Potrang Marpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694.〔 The new palace got its name from a hill on Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India—a rocky point sacred to the bodhisattva of compassion, who is known as Avalokitesvara, or Chenrezi. The Tibetans themselves rarely speak of the sacred place as the "Potala", but rather as "Peak Potala" (''Tse Potala''), or usually as "the Peak".〔Lowell Thomas, Jr. (1951). ''Out of this World: Across the Himalayas to Tibet''. Reprint: 1952, p. 181. Macdonald & Co., London〕 The palace was slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese in 1959, when Chinese shells were launched into the palace's windows. It also escaped damage during the Cultural Revolution in 1966 through the personal intervention of Zhou Enlai,〔http://www.potalarestaurante.com/potala.php〕 who was then the Premier of the People's Republic of China. Still, almost all of the over 100,000 volumes of scriptures, historical documents and other works of art were either removed, damaged or destroyed.〔(Decline of Potala ) par Oser〕 The Potala Palace was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994. In 2000 and 2001, Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka were added to the list as extensions to the sites. Rapid modernisation has been a concern for UNESCO, however, which expressed concern over the building of modern structures immediately around the palace which threaten the palace's unique atmosphere. The Chinese government responded by enacting a rule barring the building of any structure taller than 21 metres in the area. UNESCO was also concerned over the materials used during the restoration of the palace, which commenced in 2002 at a cost of RMB180 million (US$22.5 million), although the palace's director, Qiangba Gesang, has clarified that only traditional materials and craftsmanship were used. The palace has also received restoration works between 1989 to 1994, costing RMB55 million (US$6.875 million). The number of visitors to the palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Tourist entry restriction protects Potala Palace )〕 Visits to the structure's roof was banned after restoration works were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage.〔(Potala Palace bans roof tour )〕 Visitorship quotas were raised to 2,300 daily to accommodate a 30% increase in visitorship since the opening of the Qingzang railway into Lhasa on 1 July 2006, but the quota is often reached by mid-morning.〔(Tibet's Potala Palace to restrict visitors to 2,300 a day )〕 Opening hours were extended during the peak period in the months of July to September, where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Tibet bans price rises at all tourist sites(05/04/07) )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Potala Palace」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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