Lobulinka Park

The Dalai Lama's picturesque Lobulinka Park the western outskirts of Lhasa is the Tibetan counterpart of the Qing emperor's Summer Palace in Beijing. In March every year the god-king would leave the Potala Palace and come here, where he would stay till September.

In Tibetan linka means a place with trees, lawns and beautiful surroundings. There are a number of well-known linka in Lhasa where people go with their families in the fifth month of the Tibetan outdoors during what is called the Linka Festival.

But Lobulinka Park is something different. In addition to trees and lawns, it also boasts many elegant structures, colorful flowers, deer and even leopards.It is a garden and, as the name Lobulinka indicates, a glittering gem on the Tibetan highland.

The place was once a wilderness overgrown with weeds, a haunt for wild animals. But there was a crystal clear spring, which attracted the seventh Dalai Lama,Kelzang Gyatso, who, because he had lost his power and was in fragile health, devoted himself entirely to Buddhist studies. He came here often to bathe. Seeing he needed a temporary shelter,the resident minister of the Qing court, Ji Shan, personally funded the erection of a palace, known as Whyao Phodrang.In 1751, after Emperor Qianlong had resolutely quelled the revolt of Gyumey Namgyal, the seventh Dalai, the 44 years old, began to take back the reins of government. In that year he built a large palace beside Wuyao Phodrang and named it Kelzang Phodrang after himself. It was a three-story granite building with a Buddhist hall, a guardian hall and bedroom.

Eventually, the eighth Dalai Lama, Jampal Gyatso, added a scripture and lecture hall, a dragon king temple, a reading room and a pavilion called "Overawing the Three Worlds".

The 13th Dalai Lama-who was in power from the late 19 th century to the 1930s, when Tibet was in turmoil-had a second palace, Jinse Phodrang, erected at Lorbulinka. It is also a three-story structure, with both flat and sloping roofs covered with glazed tiles, that blends Tibetan and Han architectural styles. The interior is decorated with murals portraying good fortune and success, longevity and happiness. The murals together with a scattering of outbuildings show more markedly the influence of Han decorative and architectural style.

Large-scale construction continued from 1954 to 1956 on an even more gorgeous palace, Dadanmingjiu Phodrang, which was built especially for Tenzin Gyatso, the 14 th Dalai Lama. The palace features a roof with untitled golden eaves on its front gate. The tops of the walls are dyed red with sap from willow twigs, and the rooms are filled with murals, tangka paintings, stupas and lamp stands, and the elaborately carved throne is encrusted with jewels. The palace is a veritable art gallery.

Lorbulinka was once closely guarded and off-limits to visitors without special permits. However, today, it is open to everyone and throughout the year, even during the Linka Festival.