Norbulingka

Norbulingka

Norbulingka is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a national key cultural relics protection unit.

"Norbulingka" means "Jewel Garden" in Tibetan. It served as the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas (with the Potala Palace being the winter palace) and is often referred to as the "Summer Palace of Lhasa."

Norbulingka is a national key cultural relics protection unit, located in the western suburbs of Lhasa, Tibet. Construction began in the 1740s (during the reign of the 7th Dalai Lama) as a summer retreat and administrative center for the Dalai Lamas. After more than two hundred years of expansion, the garden now covers an area of 360,000 square meters. Its architecture is primarily centered around the Gesang Podrang, Golden Podrang, and Tengyeling Podrang palaces, comprising 374 rooms. It is the largest, most scenic, and most historically rich garden among those built in Tibet.

Norbulingka is now open to the public as a people's park. The environment is pleasant, and the buildings are well maintained, but the cultural relics within are not as abundant or captivating as those in the Potala Palace or Jokhang Temple. As a result, some people humorously describe Norbulingka as being "made up of a water tower, two rows of craft shops, and a few palaces surrounding a zoo."

Norbulingka has gates on all four sides, with the eastern gate serving as the main entrance. The Kangsong Sengdra is the most prominent building at the front. Originally a small Chinese-style wooden pavilion, it was later converted into a theater viewing platform. An open performance area was added to the east specifically for the Dalai Lama’s enjoyment. Adjacent to it is the Xapu Dian Lhakhang, a place for religious ceremonies. To its north are the offices and meeting rooms of the Kashag (Tibetan government). During the summer, many government offices from the Potala Palace would relocate to Norbulingka along with the Dalai Lama.

Before the 1740s, Norbulingka was a wild, overgrown area inhabited by animals and covered in weeds and low willows. Later, because the 7th Dalai Lama enjoyed visiting this place frequently, the then Qing Dynasty’s Resident Minister in Tibet built a birdhouse-style pavilion (the Yongyupodrang, or "Cool Pavilion Palace") for him. In 1751, the 7th Dalai Lama constructed a three-story palace named after himself — the Gesang Podrang (Hall of Virtuous Excellence) — just east of the Yongyupodrang. This palace includes a Buddha hall, bedrooms, a reading room, and a private shrine, and was used by successive Dalai Lamas as a summer office and venue for receiving Tibetan monks and lay officials.

The New Palace is one of the notable structures within Norbulingka. It houses richly colored and lifelike murals. Particularly eye-catching is the painting in the scripture hall on the west side of the northern hall of the New Palace, depicting Shakyamuni Buddha under the Bodhi tree with his eight disciples. The image of Shakyamuni is the largest and most intricately painted, showing a serene and benevolent expression. The eight disciples are also vividly portrayed, with their reverent and meditative expressions captured in remarkable detail. It is a rare and exceptional artwork.

The murals in the southern hall of the New Palace depict, from west to north to east, a comic-strip-style Tibetan history. The content includes: the origin of the Tibetan people, the rise and fall of the Tubo Dynasty, the revival of Tibetan Buddhism from 846 to 1391 AD and the emergence of various sects such as the Kadampa, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug, as well as the biographies of the Dalai Lamas from the 1st Dalai Lama, Gendun Drup, to the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who returned to Lhasa from Beijing in 1955 — a total of 301 murals.

Address: No. 21, Norbulingka Road, Chengguan District, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region

Type: Garden / World Cultural Heritage Site

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visiting Time: 2–3 hours

Tel: 0891-6826274

Opening Hours:

Summer: 9:00–18:00; Winter: 9:30–17:30

Ticket Information:

Peak season: 80 RMB per person; Off-peak season: 60 RMB per person

Transportation

Take bus routes 2 or 14 and get off at Norbulingka South Station

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units