Potala Palace Square Panorama | 140-Gigapixel View of the Potala Palace | 360° Gigapixel Panorama

The Potala Palace Through the Eyes of a Veteran Panorama Photographer

People say the romance of Tibet is half its mountains, lakes and rivers, and half the Potala Palace.

To truly appreciate the Potala Palace, you do not necessarily need to enter its inner halls. Standing in the wide-open Potala Palace Square is enough. It is one of the defining public spaces of Lhasa, a place where the city opens itself to visitors. People travel thousands of kilometers just to see, with their own eyes, the sacred palace they once knew from textbooks—and to let the highland wind blow away the fatigue accumulated along the journey.

This was the final stop of our Sichuan–Tibet gigapixel panorama project, right at the foot of the Potala Palace. We first used a 50mm lens to sweep through the surrounding environment and capture the full 360-degree setting. Then we switched to a 400mm telephoto lens and pushed deep into the architectural details of the palace. All the material was eventually stitched together into a 360-degree panorama that keeps both the nearby surroundings and distant architectural details remarkably clear.

Around the square, many visitors hold up a 50-yuan banknote, comparing the image printed on the note with the real palace in front of them—a playful meeting of two moments in time. Others dress in elaborate Tibetan robes and pose with the Red Palace and its golden roofs, capturing their own version of highland romance. Along the stone paths nearby, local pilgrims perform full-body prostrations. Every bow carries a very real sense of devotion.

Gilded Details of the Potala Palace Through a 400mm Telephoto Lens

At 400mm, the cluster of Tibetan Buddhist architectural ornaments on top of the Red Palace becomes a completely different sight. Against the blue sky, the gilded elements stand out dramatically from the deep red walls, and each one carries its own religious significance.

From left to right are two roof-ridge treasure vases, two yak-hair ornaments with three-pronged elements, a small gilded stupa, and a tall victory banner. These gilded architectural elements are not simply decorative. They are associated with buildings of exceptionally high religious status, symbolizing the perfection of wisdom and merit and the power of Buddhist teachings to overcome obstacles and harmful forces.

The round reliefs embedded in the red wall include four of the Eight Auspicious Symbols: the endless knot, conch shell, treasure vase and Dharma wheel, each carrying its own auspicious meaning. Beside them are two large gilded ornaments. One is the Tenfold Auspicious Symbol, associated with completeness of time and space and the warding off of misfortune; the other is the golden Dharma wheel with two deer listening to the Buddha's teachings, representing the Buddha's first turning of the Dharma wheel and the continuation of the Buddhist teachings.

The Practical Logic Behind the Black Curtains and Closed Windows

Outside the windows hangs a black curtain marked with white stripes. In Tibetan, it is known as “xiangbu,” traditionally handwoven from highland yak hair.

The weave is exceptionally dense. When wet, the fibers swell and become even more tightly packed, helping keep wind from passing through. The curtain can shield the palace interior from Lhasa's intense ultraviolet sunlight, helping protect ancient murals and thangkas from light damage, while also keeping out strong winds, dust and sudden rain.

The small windows of the Potala Palace are generally kept closed. Their original design was not primarily intended for everyday ventilation and lighting, but also incorporated defensive and lookout functions. Today, keeping them closed mainly helps isolate the interior from sunlight, wind, dust and moisture, protecting the murals, reliquaries and scriptures that have been preserved inside for centuries.

White Walls Brushed with Milk and Honey

The white walls of the Potala Palace are not simply ordinary limewashed walls. Around the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar, just after Lhasa's rainy season, local believers traditionally come with milk to take part in the annual repainting. The tradition has continued for more than 300 years.

Monks traditionally prepared the coating by combining natural lime and kaolin with ingredients including milk, sugar, honey, saffron and ox-bone glue. Repainting the walls served both to maintain the ancient building and to express the devotees' own form of offering to the sacred palace. Today, the Potala Palace administration prepares the coating according to a unified formula, avoiding the risk that independently mixed materials might be improperly proportioned and damage the historic walls.