China, Tibet. The Potala Palace is considered the landmark of the Tibetan capital Lhasa and sits on the Marpori Hill above the city. It was built in the 17th century by the fifth Dalai Lama. In ancient Tibet it was not only the seat of the Dalai Lama, but also the secular and spiritual centre of power in Tibet. It is a majestic building with 999 rooms on 13 floors. Since 1994 the Potala belongs to the world cultural heritage of the UNESCO. In my photo tips you can find out how you get great photos of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
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Table of Contents and Quick Navigation
Visit to the Potala Palace
Photo Tips - how to get great Photos of the Potala Palace in Lhasa
From the Viewpoint Jag Pori
Reflection in the Water
Water Games at Potala Square
Details of the outdoor Facilities
View from Potala Palace
People in traditional Costume
Visit to the Potala Palace
Oversized stairs lead us to the entrance to the interior of the palace. There should be 600 steps. Already in the outside area it is very crowded, but in the inside of the Potala the masses push themselves closely together through the corridors. To protect the building, the maximum number of visitors is limited to 2,300 per day. In addition, the visiting time of the interior rooms is a maximum of one hour.
Our guide makes us hurry. Photography is unfortunately not allowed in the indoor areas and would probably also blow up our time window. Believers who stand too long in front of the statues are asked by the numerous watchmen to continue. It's going so fast that I don't have time to read the short English texts on some of the signs. It is also difficult to empathize with the special atmosphere of the palace under the pressure of time. Two older Tibetan women hurry past me. They have a vessel with yak butter with them and sacrifice a spoon of it with each butter lamp. They have to hurry to reach each butter lamp in the given time window.
By the way: The different colours of the paint on the walls symbolize the different functions of the building parts. The rooms with a political function are painted white, the rooms with a religious function are painted red and the meditation rooms are painted yellow.
The Potala Palace can only be visited by foreign guests with a guide. There are several security checks to pass. Water bottles may not be taken in, but can be bought at a stand just before access to the inner areas.
Photo Tips - how to get great Photos of the Potala Palace in Lhasa
From the Viewpoint Jag Pori
The best view of the Potala Palace is from the Jag Pori vantage point on the opposite side of the road. The viewpoint is open from 6:30am to 10pm in summer. From here you can take nice pictures during twilight or with night lighting. Admission is free.
Reflection in the Water
On the eastern side of the Potala square there is a small pond. Here the Potala Palace is reflected in the water. However, the pond is full of fish, which cause movement at the water surface and thus affect the reflection. You have the best chances for beautiful pictures in the evening hours, because then the reflection is stronger to see.
Water Games at Potala Square
Directly in front of the Potala Palace is the Potala Square, named after the palace. In the evening hours, colourfully illuminated water games accompanied by music are performed here. A kitschy-beautiful scenery with many great photo possibilities. To enter the Potala Square you have to go through a security check.
Details of the outdoor Facilities
The palace is huge and has many interesting details, such as the stairs or windows. Since your visiting time is limited to a maximum of one hour for the indoor areas only, you will have plenty of time to explore the palace. Also the palace garden with its many colorful flowers offers great motives.
Long tested and much loved: my three companions on photo tours: the lightweight carbon tripod CT-5C I from Rollei*, the cleaning kit from Rollei*and my indestructible camera backpack, the camera backpack, the Flipside from Lowepro*.
View from Potala Palace
From the palace you have a wide view over the city and also a beautiful view of the Potala Square. Here stands the "Monument of the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet". It was completed in May 2002 and cost 1.7 million US $. The monument is a 37 meter high concrete tower, symbolizing Mount Quomolongma (Mount Everest). At this important place for Tibet in front of the Potala it is rather a daily reminder of the Chinese rule over Tibet.
People in traditional Costume
Many Tibetans visit the palace in traditional costume. It is also popular with Chinese tourists to wrap themselves in traditional Tibetan clothing for a photo shoot. I took some very nice photos from people in front of the palace. But since I don't have the permission of the people I have photographed to publish the pictures, I can't show them here.
Book Recommendations for Tibet
You want to know where the journey goes? Then I can recommend these books* about Tibet.
You can order these books at Amazon with a click on the pictures. If you buy a product via one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission and you help me to keep filling Fernweh-Motive with interesting articles. The product will not be more expensive for you.
Have you ever been to Lhasa yourself? How did you like it? Do you have any questions about my article or any other photo tips for the Potala Palace? If so, please write me a comment!
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