Norbulinka - the summer residence of the Dalai Lama and the most beautiful park in Tibet

A park in Tibet is called a “link”, and “norbu” are precious stones, therefore, translated from Tibetan Norbulinka means “Precious Park” or “Gemstone Park”, depending on the imagination of the translator. It is the highest alpine artificial park in the world and the largest in Tibet. In addition, the Dalai Lama's summer palaces were built here, and this place is the second most important place in Tibet after the famous Potala. And here it is incredibly beautiful, so every traveler in Tibet must visit this place. To visit the "cottage" of the Dalai Lama himself, isn't it cool?

Norbulinka Park is located in the west of Lhasa, about two kilometers from the Potala Palace. Its territory is huge and covers approximately 360 hectares (3.6 sq. Km.), Which is 20% more than the territory of our Kremlin. This is the place in which young lamas spent the summer and studied like in a summer camp, and when they became rulers of Tibet, they lived here for the entire warm period from March to October and ruled the state.

Here is what the 14th Dalai Lama recalls about Norbulinka (he is the last) in his memoirs:

"And I built a house there. The place was very fertile. In the garden of Norbulinki we grew radishes weighing 20 pounds (about 9 kg), and the cabbage was so big that it could not be wrapped around our hands! There were poplars, willows, junipers, various flowers and fruit trees: apple trees, pears, peaches, nuts, apricots.When I lived there, we planted plums and cherries.

There, between classes, I could walk and run among the flowers in the gardens where peacocks and domestic deer walked. There I played on the edge of the lake and nearly drowned twice. Also in the lake I loved to feed the fish, which, barely hearing my steps, were already beginning to rise to the surface.
In Norbulinka, I began to live permanently after I turned twenty years old. Before that, I moved there every year in early spring and returned to Potala with the beginning of winter after about six months. The day I left my gloomy room in Potala was without a doubt my favorite day of the year. "

The following Dalai Lamas continued the tradition and also moved here for the summer period, with each trying to embellish Norbulinka and do something new, and some even built for themselves new palaces-residences, which today number as many as four.

The First Kelsang Potrang Palace ("Potrang" - the palace) is named after the seventh Dalai Lama - Kelsang Gyatso. This is a three-story building with rooms for worshiping Buddha, bedrooms, a library and shrines. This is the very first and most modest palace in the Norbulinka park.

The next, the eighth Dalai Lama significantly expanded the park and built his own palace - Tsokil Potrang. It is called the "Water Tower", as it is built in the middle of a small pond and surrounded on all sides by water. It is considered the most attractive and photographed place in the Norbulinka park.

Next to the water tower, the 8th Llama built another building - Truzing Potrang. It has become a reading room and library, which houses over 3,600 ancient manuscripts. In addition, this small “palace” was used by the 13th Dalai Lama as a meditation hall.

Near the "library" there is such a magical lingam, around which pilgrims (or rather pilgrims), who have problems with the birth of children, are wrapped in circles. To achieve the result, you need to go 108 circles clockwise, reading the corresponding mantra.

The 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Dalai Lamas did not live long and died at an early age, so they did not make a special contribution to the construction of the park. And only the 13th lama at the beginning of the 20th century increased Norbulinka and built here the next palaces - Golden Link and Chancel Potrang.

Well, Norbulinka Park got its modern look at the last, 14th Dalai Lama. In 1954 he built his magnificent palace - Takten Migur Potrang, known as the "New Palace".

It is both a temple and a residential building. Outwardly, it looks like a traditional Tibetan temple, and inside there is a modern (at that time) house, including offices, reception rooms for visitors, living rooms, rest rooms, toilets and bathrooms, bedrooms, prayer rooms and so on. Interior decoration and furniture seem to be Tibetan, but at the same time are modern in nature. It also houses many gifts that the last Dalai Lama received from guests from around the world, including carriages and cars.

Well, then, as you know, the Chinese captured Tibet, the lama escaped, and Norbulinka was very much destroyed and plundered. The park was made "popular", and only at the beginning of the 21st century its reconstruction and restoration began as a holy historical place. Now the park looks amazing again and is included in the list of UNESCO heritage sites!

On the territory of the park there is a zoo with animals that were given to the Dalai Lama, as well as a small cinema, which was built by the Austrian mountain climber Heinrich Harrer for the Dalai Lama. By the way, the whole film "Seven Years in Tibet" was shot about him, and none other than Brad Pitt himself starred. This is an interesting and fairly believable film about Tibet, so I recommend watching it.

Norbulinka Park is a great place for walking, and due to the large number of trees and greenery, there is a lot of oxygen, so it is especially easy to breathe here. So this park is perfect for the first days of acclimatization at high altitude (3650 meters after all!).

Today, monks live in Norbulinka, and they look after him. Everywhere cleanliness, beauty and order!

You can travel through the park on foot, but because Since its territory is huge, you can use transport - eco-friendly electric vehicles (for an additional fee).

Traveling by car significantly reduces time, but also reduces the pleasure of walking. So, if everything is fine with your feet, and time is running out, I advise you to walk and get the most out of it.

Tibetans also love this place and come here to worship shrines and just take a walk, especially in the park there are many places where you can relax in nature.

A visit to the park for tourists costs 60 yuan, and another 10 yuan must be paid for the zoo. The park is open all year round, well, of course, it is better to come here in the warm time, when everything is in green and flowers! And do not skimp on time, take at least 2-3 hours to visit Norbulinka, impressions are guaranteed!