Potala Palace, situated on the Hongshan Hill in
Lhasa, means "the Sacred Palace of Buddhism" in
Sanskrit. It was built in the 7th century by king Songtsan
Gambo for his bride, the princess Wen Cheng of Han
nationality, and was enlarged and renovated by the
successive Dalais. The 13-story palace, 117 meters high, 360
meters east west, with an area of 130,000 square meters was
constructed completely by stone and wood. It
includes temple, seminary, chanting hall, dormitory, mouming
hall and yard. The eight-mouming halls house the stupas of
several Dalai Lamas, which are covered with gold leaf and
studded with jewels. Enormous precious historical relics and
frescos on various themes are kept in the building. Potala
Palace was the winter residence of Dalai Lamas. The imposing
grand building was constructed on the slope of the hill,
which demonstrates a combined style of Tibetan and Han architecture.