Norbulingka (Luo Bu Lin Ka) [罗布林卡]

  • Address:West part of Lhasa city
  • Getting there: 106
  • Contact: 0891-6822644  
  • Opening hours: 9.00am-12.00noon, 3.00pm-4.00pm
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Description

The Norbulingka lies in the western part of Lhasa City, on the bank of the Kyichu River, about one km (0.6 mile) southwest of the Potala Palace. The name means "Jewelled Garden" in Tibetan, and its earliest history goes back to 1751 AD, when a palace retreat was built for the 7th Dalai Lama (1708-1757).

The Norbulinka served as a summer palace for successive Dalai Lamas, and has been expanded and altered many time. Today it has a total of 374 rooms, and consists of several palace complexes. 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, built when the Eighth Dalai Lama (1758-1804) was in power, is considered to be the most attractive. The Chensel Potrang was built in 1922 for the thirteenth Dalai Lama (1876-1933). In 1954, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama built Takten Migyur Potrang (also called the New Summer Palace), which is notable for its fine murals, including one which depicts the entire history of Tibet from the time of legends to the 1950s.

The Norbulinka was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2001 as an extension of Potala Palace.

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