Potala Palace: 'Constructed by Angels'

Nov. 9, 2006 — -- Where does a flag have no nation ... a wheel is not only for earthly travel ... and lying down is not for rest?

Climb through the forbidding cliffs of the Tibetan Himalayas to an altitude of more than 12,000 feet above sea level and you will find golden prayer wheels spinning, Tibetan Buddhists in prayer, colorful prayer flags waving, and the answer to this clue -- the Potala Palace.

And this morning, in an unprecedented event, "Good Morning America Weekend" anchor Bill Weir will be the first American journalist to broadcast live from Tibet as he takes you on a tour of the stunning Potala Palace, the first of the 7 New Wonders of the World.

Constructed by Angels?

Perched 2½ miles above sea level overlooking the Tibetan Capital of Lhasa, the palace is beyond imposing -- it is otherworldly.

Ringed by snowcapped mountains, under deep cobalt blue skies, the Potala is unlike any other structure on the planet. Built in the seventeenth century, over 7,000 workers and 1,500 artisans labored for almost a decade to construct this architectural marvel.

"Part of the magic and really the mystery of the Potala is that it seems to come out of nowhere. It has no precedent, it has no parallel. The Tibetans used to believe that it was constructed secretly by angels working all night long while people were sleeping," said panelist and travel writer Pico Iyer.

The 13 stories, peaked by golden turrets, reach into the thin, crisp air for over 400 feet.

The palace base spreads for 1,000 feet across the rock face of the mountain covering nearly 32 acres. Inside the compound, flickering candles made from yak butter illuminate more than 10,000 altars, filled with centuries of Tibetan history.

Our international panel of experts agreed without much debate to include the Potala Palace on the list of the Seven New Wonders of the World.

"If you want to talk about something that inspires sheer awe -- it's the Potala," said Iyer

Centuries before the construction of the Palace that stands today, the Maar-po-ri or Red Mountain, a rocky cliff 425 feet above the Lhasa River Valley, was home to the seventh century palace of Tibetan King Songsten Gampo. The king named his palace Potala ("pure land"), many scholars believe, in homage to Mount Potala in India.

The original palace was destroyed, but in 1645 the fifth Dalai Lama, the spiritual and governmental leader of Tibet, chose the site to build a palace that would accommodate his role as both as religious and governmental leader.

The White Palace, or Karpo Potrang, was completed without incident in 1648 and the Dalai Lama moved into his new residence one year later.

Construction soon began on the larger Red Palace, the Marpo Potrang, but unfortunately, the Dalai Lama died before his vision was completed.

However, concerned that the mourning for their beloved leader would slow construction, the regent who governed Tibet from 1679 to 1703 concealed the Dalai Lama's death until after the completion of the 13-story palace.

For over 200 years, the Potala Palace was the self-contained center of Tibetan Buddhism. Imagine the White House, Congress, the Supreme Court, National Cathedral and Arlington Cemetery all in one building.

Naturally protected by its location among the jagged cliffs of the Himalayas, the fortified palace served as the home of each successive Dalai Lama and the more than 1,000 rooms housed chapels, schools, administrative buildings, cells and even tombs.

The Potala Today

Since the current Dalai Lama's (Tenzin Gyatso) departure from Tibet in 1959, the palace has remained without a resident. However, recognizing the beauty and the grandeur of the Potala, the Chinese government spent millions of dollars on renovations.

In 1980 the doors of the stunning fortress were opened to the public as a museum. For many Tibetan-Buddhists, though, it is still revered as on of the holiest places in the world.

Tibetan Buddhists make pilgrimages to the palace, praying as they go, often prostrating themselves for miles to offer the deepest level of devotion and respect. The palace now serves as a powerful symbol for a culture and a people that were isolated from the world developing around them and were left almost untouched by modern times.

"The intensity of the light, the mystical chanting, the smells that are redolent of antiquity. You feel as if you're in a space that bears no relation to any other space that you've seen in your days or your life," said Iyer.

Often connected with the legend of Shangri-la, the palace's impossible location, and more recently political controversy in Tibet, kept the mysterious Potala Palace hidden from Western eyes for centuries.

Until the 1980s fewer than 2,000 Westerners had ever set foot on the grounds.