The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until 1959. It is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region in China. While the original Palace was built in 637, the 5th Dalai Lama started the construction on the current Palace in 1645.
Why it is special: Built as the ideal location for the seat of power for the Dalai Lama, the Potala Palace was named after the Mount Potalaka, the mythical abode of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and one of the Three Protectors of Tibet. The entire Palace was created with a solid strong structure, that even had copper poured into the foundation to strengthen it against earthquakes. The Palace has 13 storeys with a 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and 2,00,000 statues.
