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Norbulingka’s treasure trove of cultural and religious heritage
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NORBULINGKA (Luobulinka) Palace in Lhasa is not only the epitome of Tibetan architecture, it is the largest garden in the Tibet Autonomous Region and home to the greatest collection of the region’s cultural and religious heritage.
Located in the western suburb of Lhasa, the exotic garden was once a summer palace for Dalai Lama, when it was first built in the 1740s.
Over the past 200 years, the palace has been renovated and expanded into almost 360,000 square meters. It is home to 15 animal breeds and filled with more than 100 precious plants from home and abroad, including species from the southern and northern slopes of the Himalayas. Little wonder it earns the reputation of “the highest botanic garden on the Earth.”
The architecture has doors on the four sides with the east one as its main entrance. The Khamsum Zilnon, a Han-style wooden kiosk, is the most distinctive building on the east side, with an opera stage exclusively used by the Dalai Lama to enjoy performances.
Before 1949, the year when the People’s Republic of China was founded, Norbulingka was a “Summer Palace,” only for Dalai Lama, high-ranking officials and rich, powerful people. After 1949, it was renovated and reopened to the public.
Kelsang “Podrang” (palace in Tibetan language) was the earliest compound set up in Norbulingka by the seventh Dalai Kelsang Gyatso. Today it’s one of the main palace complexes.
Old Tibetan documents reveal the Norbulingka area was filled with shrubs, while wild beasts wandered around. The ancient canal of Lhasa River flowed through it, giving birth to numerous ponds and lakes, which irrigated the green grass and forest. The weak, sickly seventh Dalai often came here for a bath in the summer hoping its spring water would cure or heal him.
The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) central government approved Dalai Kelsang’s request to build a palace so he could take a break after a bath. The three-story construction was called Kelsang Podrang, after him.
Kelsang Podrang was designed with Buddha worshiping rooms, bedrooms, and reading rooms. The later generations of Dalai Lama were required to live and study here when they were young before they grew up to take charge of political and religious power.
On the second floor, the highlight is the four murals depicting children playing. On one mural, eight kids perform acrobatics, while two hold banners written in Han language “blessing, longevity and happiness.”
Lively and full of secular flavor, they are rarely seen in traditional Tibetan murals. From the clothing and hairstyles of the children, there is a strong Han painting style, which reflected the cultural exchanges between the Han and Tibetan groups at the time.
Chensal Podrang (Golden Palace), built in 1926 on the west side, has a 6,800-square-meter plaza in front of the building.
With tall trees and beautiful roses, the three-story palace looks magnificent with its golden yellow roofs, red eaves and white washed walls.
The 13th Dalai met monks and officials in the Dajing Hall on the first floor. The second floor was for the guests to have a rest and the third level was to hold Zen rituals.
Past the entrance of the Chensal Podrang, there is a courtyard paved with cobblestones. In the western corridor, there are two cars the Dalai once used, which were dissembled and transported across the Himalayas.
Among all of the Tibetan religious relics, the bronze Buddha statues are the most famed, which might just represent the highest level of Tibetan craftsmanship.
When the palace was first constructed, the seventh Dalai was ordered to set up a work studio, which gathered hundreds of skilled craftsmen to forge and carve Buddha statues and other religious tools. They also worked to carve the door frames, window sashes and Buddha niches.
Brightly colored, thick gold plated and finely polished, the Buddha statues were sophisticatedly handmade in good proportion.
The ornaments, such as Buddha’s crowns, earrings, arm rings, bracelets and ribbons, were all inlaid with turquoise. These indicate that Tibetan statue-making technology had entered a mature stage with its strong features after the mid-18th century.
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