White Palace is the Winter Palace of Dalai Lama. It is used to be the administrative body of Tibetan Government. The Place has 7 layers. White Palaces is the living place for Dalai Lama.
Layout of the White Palace
The top layer it the Dalai Lama’s bedroom “Sunshine Hall”. Some of the rooms in the hall are open to let sunshine shooting in, and covered with tarpaulin at night. Sunshine Hall can be divided in to east and west part. The west Sunshine Hall is the original one while the east sunshine was imitated the west one. They were respectively the bedroom of the 13th and 14th Dalai Lama and also the place for them to handle fairs. With rigid hierarchies, only top monks or officials were allowed to get into the hall. There are worship hall, scripture hall, bedrooms and other rooms in the hall which are all decorated very luxury.
The five and six layers are the rooms for living and work. The Dongyoujiyuanman Hall on the middle of the 4th floor, with an area of 717 square meters, is the largest hall in Potala Palace. It is the hall for holding the enthronement of Dalai Lama, leading ceremony and other religious and political activities. Outside the White Palace there is way in the “Z” shape. A broad square named Deyangsha,at east hillside is the place for Dalai Lama to watch drama or holding outdoor activities. At the south and north part of the square, there are monk officials’ school and other architectures.
The White Palace is located under the Red Palace and connecting with Zhasha. Zhasha is located at the west part of Red Palace, and is the living room for lamas serving in the palace. It used to have 25000 lamas living in it. As the outside wall is also white, it usually considered as a part of the White Palace.
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