The 7th Dalai Lama began the palace and park in 1755, though another passage says construction started in the 1740s. The 8th Dalai Lama completed it in 1783. It served as the Dalai Lamas' summer residence and as an administrative and religious center, about 2 miles (3 km) west of the Potala Palace, the winter palace.
The article gives 374 rooms and grounds of 89 acres (36 hectares), the largest man-made garden in Tibet, though another passage says 3.6 km². Kelsang Phodrang, the earliest building, is a three-story palace described as a beautiful example of Yellow Hat architecture. A New Palace funded by the Central Government was built from 1954 to 1956.
Two sets of walls enclosed the complex, and the inner wall was painted yellow. Buildings were damaged in 1950 and during the Cultural Revolution, and restoration grants of 67.4 million yuan were sanctioned in 2002. UNESCO listed it in 2001 within the Potala Palace ensemble.
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