About Rewalsar Lake

Rewalsar is a mid-altitude lake that is situated on a mountain spur in the Mandi district, basically 22.5 km south-west from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India. It is elevated approximately 1,360mm above sea level. Rewalsar lake is shaped like a square with the shoreline of about 735m.

Apart from the crystalline blue water, the beauty of the lake’s surroundings i.e the gigantic mountains, and mystical forests is ethereal. If you want to experience the majestic beauty and picturesque view in real, then Rewalsar Lake is the best place for you to explore all these things. The scenic lake is situated at a mid-altitude of 1,360m above sea level and that too is 22.5 km away from the Mandi district. The lake holds a shape of the square and covers over an area of 735m.

Mythological Point

Location – As stated above, it is located 22.5km south-west from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Best time to visit – You can visit here anytime but the most preferred month would be in summer i.e. from March to October.
Surface Elevation – 1,360m(4,460 ft)
Shore length – : It is around 735m(2,411 ft)

Rewalsar lake is considered one of the most sacred lakes of Himachal Pradesh and it is revered by the people of different religions such as Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist. Tibetan Buddhists call this place by the name of Tso-Pema which means the lotus lake. There is a huge story behind the formation of Rewalsar lake. So, the king of Mandi tried to kill Guru Padmasambhava because he found that his daughter is running off with him. When the king is unable to kill the Guru, then he cursed him out of anger saying that they both will die in a fire. To oppose the king, Guru Padmasambhava used his supernatural powers and transformed the funeral pyre into a lake of sesame oil that was surrounded by a ring of fire. Then, in the middle of outrageous fire bloomed a huge lotus flower on which Guru Padmasambhava was seated enclosed by rainbows and clouds. Localities even say that the spirit of Guru Padmasambhava(Guru Rinpoche) resides in this lake in the form of a small reed flowing in the river.

The main attraction of the place is a 12 m high statue of Padmasambhava which is worth watching. As we move a little further, there are three temples that are dedicated to Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, and sage Lomas. The beautiful Rewalsar lake is also home to the Drikung Kagyu Gompa which is an academy for Buddhist studies and holds a Sakyamuni statue. A few steps away, there is a Gurudwara dedicated to Guru Gobind Singh that was built in the year 1930 to honor Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s visit in 1738 to Rewalsar.

Besides all this, there are some other important pilgrimage sites which you definitely need to encounter. Few of them are Padmasambhava caves, Naina Devi Temple, Ziglar Drukpa Kagyud Institute, Drikung Kagyud Gompa, Jigar Monastery, Kunt Bhyog, and six other lakes which depict the story of an epic episode of Mahabharata where a conspiracy was made to kill ‘Pandavas’ in the palace of wax.

There are several boarding, lodging, and equipment amenities provided by the tourism industry that assists the tourists to discover a bit more about this place. All facilities are provided by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department. The lake surroundings provide a wide variety of dense vegetation and plants, and I mentioned earlier it is famous for its floating islands of reed. You can reach Rewalsar Lake through different routes and that too without any problem. You can also see the reflection of snow-covered peaks from this beautiful lake that carries over the entire valley.