IDNO

P.96960.WIL

Description

View down the tree-lined Norbulingka Road with the Potala visible at the end, and the Chakpori Hill (Iron Hill) to the right with the ‘Temple of Medicine’ at its summit. [JD 16/5/2008]

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
62d. “Potala and Chokpori from Norbhu-lingka road 21.8.33”
MPOW: 99
Norbhu-lingka is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa; Potala; Norbulingka; Chakpori

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

21 August 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Image: On Cech’s list describing print P.96960.WIL:
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
62d. “Potala and Chokpori from Norbhu-lingka road 21.8.33”
MPOW: 99
Norbhu-lingka is the summer palace of the Dalai Lama.” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place: Potala - “Construction of the palace began in earnest in 1645 during the reign of the great 5th Dalai Lama. By 1645 during the reign of the great 5th Dalai Lama. By 1648 the White Palace was completed. To finish the rest of the building, known as the Red Palace, the chief adviser, Desi Sangyye Gyatso, had to conceal the Dalai Lama’s death and pretend that he was in prolonged retreat. The Red Palace was completed in 1694, 12 years after the Dalai Lama’s death. The building is named after Mt. Potala in South India, one of the holy mountains of the Hindu god Shiva. The Buddhists, however, dedicated this mountain to Avalokiteshvara resides. The Potala has served as the home of successive Dalai Lamas and their monastic staff from the time of the Fifth until that of the present Dalai Lama, the 14th. From the latter half of the eigtheenth century, it has been used as a winter palace, the Norbu lingka being the place where the rulers would retreat in the summer months.” [Source: Cech’s list, JD 14/5/2008]

Place: Chakpori is “a hill to the south of the Potala Palace carved with over 5000 rock-carvings. It was famous for its medical college built in the 17th century and the monastery (Chakpori Dratsang) affiliated to it.” [Source: The Tibet Album, http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/glossary.php#Chakpori, JD 16/5/2008]

Place: “Norbulingka is “the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas situated about 4 km to the west of Lhasa and situated in a large open area. Most of the main buildings were constructed during the 18th century by the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas.” [Source: Cech’s list, JD 15/5/2008]

Transcription: The transcription of this album by Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman was carried out with reference to Krystina Cech’s catalogue list alone. Alex Nadin has since revised their cataloguing by systematically matching their records to the images. Margaret Williamson’s handwritten captions for photographs have now been transcribed into the Inscription field, and Cech’s descriptions appear in the Description field. Correct entries for Place, Named Person and Other Nos. have also been entered by Alex Nadin. [Sudeshna Guha 29/10/2002]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 16/5/2008]