Rewalsar travel guide

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The Rewalsar (altitude 1350 M) a small village and a Buddhist pilgrimage center on the mountain slope amidst lush green woodland with a heart shaped sacred lake is at a distance of 25 KM south-south-west of Mandi town. It is held as a sacred spot for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists alike. There are three Buddhist monasteries at Rewalsar. Rewalsar has three Hindu temples which are dedicated to Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva and to the sage Lomas.

The scenic beauty including beautiful lake, mountains, wood land, hills etc is awesome to find in Rewalsar. There are seven floating islands on Rewalsar Lake, which is an amazing experience for visitors. It is also very famous as a religious spot for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhist.

The amazing sacred religious places make Rewalsar a pure land of beauty. This place is suitable to be visited all time in a year. Rewalsar is a small town with the population of around 1400 people. Rewalsar is just 24 kms away from Mandi and taxies and buses are easily available from Mandi. Bhuntar, 55 kms from Mandi is the nearest airport if one is using air mode. Through rail, one can reach to Joginder Nagar, 55 kms away from Mandi. Summers are usually very pleasant here but winters are very freezing. The temperature in winters hover around the freezing point and heavy woolen clothes are required to fight it.

Places to visit in Rawalsar

The sacred lake –

according to Buddhist legend, this lake was created out of a burning pyre by the accomplished master Padma Sambhava (Guru Rinpoche). As such, it is one of the main pilgrimage sites for Buddhists in Himachal Pradesh. Padma Sambhava, was an Indian Tantric sage who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet in the 8th Century AD. It is from Tsopema that he left to spread the faith.

The Tsopema festival – takes place every 12 years. Last occurrence was in 2004. It falls on the auspicious 10th day of the 1st month of the Tibetan lunar calendar and it is celebrated as the birthday of Guru Padma Sambhava (“The Lotus Born” Guru) who was supposedly born in the monkey year.

Gurudwara –

This gurudwara was built in 1930 by Raja Joginder Sen of Mandi. It commemorates Guru Gobind Singh’s visit in 1738, when he sought to evolve a common strategy with the hill rulers against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Monastries:

There are three monasteries in Rewalsar, two belonging to Tibetians and one to Bhutanese.

Temples: There are three sacred Hindu temples dedicated to the sage Lomas, Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna.

The Mini zoo –

at the other extremity of the lake, there is a small zoo where local animals can be seen. It is located under the trees and the walk is quite enjoyable. Just before the zoo there is a field where local festivities take place.

Trekking in Rawalsar – Two hours Trekking to Naina Devi temple is an enjoyable experience. On way there are many Buddhist caves and lakes.

How to reach Rawalsar

By Air – The closest airport from Manali is Bhuntar, which is around 63 km from the town of Mandi.

By Rail – The closest railhead is in Kiratpur which 125 km away from the town of Mandi. By Road Rewalsar is 24 km by road from Mandi. Taxis and buses are available at Mandi.

By Road – From Mandi, there is a road that goes up the mountains and reaches Rewalsar.

Rewalsar map

Himachal Pradesh, India

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