Economic Times
PTI
July 31, 2015
BEIJING: In a bid to protect the 1,300-year- old Potala Palace, which served as the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 1959 Tibetan uprising, the Tibet Autonomous Region’s legislature has adopted a new regulation.
The statute has clear articles on the administration, planning, research and protection of the structure to preserve its integrity and surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was passed yesterday at a session of the standing committee of the Tibet People’s Congress, the regional legislature.
“The rule is of great importance to guarantee the safety of the historical building complex and better pass down the local culture,” Karma, deputy chairman of the standing committee of the regional legislature, was quoted as saying by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.
The Potala Palace is perched on craggy hills in the heart of Tibet’s capital of Lhasa. It was first built by Tibetan King Songtsa Gambo in the seventh century and was expanded during the 17th century by the Dalai Lama.
First built by Tibetan King Songtsa Gambo in the seventh century and then expanded during the 17th century by the Dalai Lama, it was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1994.
In July last year, the Potala Palace launched detailed registration of its nearly 100,000 removable heritage items.
The palace is one of the most popular tourist spots in Tibet. Last year, it hosted 830,000 tourists.
The Potala Palace, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolises Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet.
The current Dalai Lama lived in Potala Palace before he fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in the Himalayan homeland.
The Potala Palace is the highest placed building in the world at 3,700 meters (12,000 feet) above the sea level.
