Potala Palace Red Palace Dalai Lama Stupas

CHINA, Tibet, Lhasa

These funerary stupas are located within the shrines of the Red Palace. There are eight stupas housing the remains of the Fifth, and Seventh to Thirteenth Dalai Lamas.
The West Shrine on the first story contains three stupas, of which the biggest is that of the Fifth Dalai Lama and is called the Unique Ornament of the World. It was built in 1695 and is 12.6 m high excluding the 3.2 m high base. It is covered in gold weighing 3,700 kg, and is decorated with many precious jewels. In the niche covered with latticework there is a golden statue of Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara. In the same shrine there are the funerary stupas of the Tenth and Twelfth Dalai Lamas. The stupa of the Tenth Dalai Lama is 7.8 m high and has a 1.8 m high base. It was constructed according to the Usnisavijaya Stupa instead of the conventional Mahabodhi Stupa. The funerary stupa of the Twelfth Dalai Lama is 6.3 m high and its base is 1.6 m high. Also on the first story is the stupa of the Eleventh Dalai Lama, located in the North Shrine. It is the smallest stupa, measuring 5.8 m high with a 1.4 m high base. In the lattice covered niche of the stupa there is a silver image of King Songtsen Gampo.
The other stupas are located in various shrines on the fourth story. The stupa of the Seventh Dalai Lama is 9.2 m high and stands on a 2.3 m high base. It is decorated with 100,000 precious stones. The stupa of the Eighth Dalai Lama was constructed in 1805 and is 7.8 m high with a 2.1 m high base. The stupa has a niche with an image of Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The golden stupa of the Ninth Dalai Lama is 6.8 m high on a 1.7 m high base. On the Sumeru base there is a pair of auspicious lions made from pure gold. Lastly, the stupa of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama was built between 1934 and 1936 and is 12.9 m high with a 3.2 m high base. The lions and dragon motifs are made from gold and the surface of the stupa is embedded with 100,000 pearls and precious stones. In the center of the stupa there is an image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.