Potala Palace, Lhasa, Southern Tibet Collection

The Potala Palace is a Tibetan castle located on Red Hill with an elevation of 3,750 meters above sea level in Lhasa, the capital of China's Tibet Autonomous Region. It was originally built in 631 AD by Songtsan Gampo (the first king of the Tibet kingdom) as a royal palace as well as a defensive fortress. It has also been the winter palace residence of the Dalai Lamas during the past dynasties Now it has become an immense religious and administrative complex.