Tourist visits to Tibet have always been subject to the vagaries of the political climate both in terms of whether they were possible at all and in terms of what the atmosphere was like when one got there. Our visit in August 1994 coincided with a relative thaw for those days and was doubly lucky in that the first phase of restoration of the Potala finished in that month and this magnificent building was open for visitors. I remember that we had been warned about carrying/giving photos of the Dalai Lama – but there actually seemed to be plenty around even for sale in Barkhor St. The restoration was followed in Dec 1994 by the inscription of the Potala on the WHS list so perhaps the Chinese government was using “kid gloves”.

In any case the Potala is one of the world’s great iconic sites, should figure in every traveller’s “to see” list and justifies significant effort/spend to move it to your “seen list”!! It isn’t the “last word” in Buddhist monasteries – there are others in Tibet and in Ladakh which enable you to get “closer” to the monks and their rituals. Also, to a non Buddhist, a lot of what you will see is incomprehensible or inaccessible (even with a guide) – and perhaps even to many Buddhists if they are not followers of a Tantric school. But to anyone, the chance to see the obvious piety and joy of the believers visiting the Potala and its associated nearby site at the Jokhang Temple Monastery is itself a worthwhile part of the visit. At the latter site you will see pilgrims who have prostrated themselves and then moved forward the length of their body perhaps tens of thousands of times as a means of reaching their objective. The building, with its myriad of passages, chambers, courtyards, smells and chants will not disappoint – it seems even bigger when you stand directly under it than in the photos (eg mine) and once inside you will feel even more that you are inside some gigantic rabbit warren. But the Chinese are still restoring it in stages so in any one year significant parts may be closed – however, unless you are a specialist I would guess that one set of chambers and corridors will be much like another! It is also unfortunate that it is one of those world class sites where despite the history, the piety and the mystery, the conflicts of modern politics are always present and the mere act of going there can’t avoid taking on a political dimension.