The Potala Palace is the biggest extant lamasery in China.
Inside the Potala the hails housing chortens are holy places and therefore their roofs are gilded. Kept there are chortens of the fifth, and seventh through thirteenth Dalai Lamas. They are all built of gold, silver, pearls and precious stones and are magnificently majestic. The chorten of the fifth Dalai Lama is the highest at 14.85 meters and the most sumptuous. A typical Lamaist dagoba, it is incrusted with a skin of gold foil mad inlaid with pearls and gems. According to historical records, more than 110,000 liang (5,500 kilogram?s) of gold and 18,680 pearls and gems were used on this chorten alone, making it the biggest and most sumptuous gold dagoba in the country, inside the chorten are the remains of the fifth Dalai Lama, given antiseptic treatment by Tibetan medicine, and other valuable relics.
