To be frank, I never
heard about Rewalsar before I went to a trip to Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, and
was told that our itinerary includes a visit to the town. As we started our
travel to Rewalsar, situated at an elevation of 1,360 m above sea level and
around 23 km from Mandi, I asked the guy driving us about its claim to
fame. (Generally, my first instinct is to go for Google, but during the entire
two-day trip, my data connection malfunctioned). He replied that it is sacred to people of
three faiths, and the lake is surrounded by three temples, two monasteries and
a gurudwara. I was somehow not convinced that a lake in the middle of a bustling
town will offer a good view, and shifted my attention to the beauty of the road.
Reaching there, we took
the circular path along the lake (many devotees undertake a “pradakshina” of
the waters, considered holy). Standing beside it, you can have a good view of
the all the places of worship and houses, painted in bright colours, Rains
started pouring in, and the fluttering Tibetan flags, the temple trishul, the yellow
sloping roof of a monastery, the golden dome of the gurudwara built to honour a
visit by Guru Gobind Singh, contrasted and combined amid a floating mist.
Towering above all was a 123-ft statue of Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, who
spread Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet. The legend is that he was teaching Buddhist
principles to the local king’s daughter. The monarch, upset about it, tried to
burn him, but he reappeared in the form of a young boy sitting on a lotus in
the middle of the lake, a miracle that changed the king’s heart. Tibetans call
it Tso Pema, or the Lotus Lake.
Braving rains, we went to
the temple dedicated to puranic sage Lomash Muni. The rishi, whose name is mentioned
in both Ramayana and Mahabharata, is believed to have meditated near the lake.
We had to take shelter in the temple for some time as the gods were throwing down
spears and arrows. After a short tea break, we walked up through narrow,
serpentine lanes full of shops selling knick-knacks and then climbed a
substantial number of steps to reach the feet of the Padmasambhava statue. But the
panoramic view of the lake and town from above was worth the trudge. The rain
was a constant companion and I was praising myself for the last-minute decision
to pack a raincoat.
There are several other
temples and monasteries in the area, apart from a cave shrine for the princess in
the aforesaid Rinpoche story, but time was running out for us. The trip to Rewalsar,
the unknown wonder, culminated with a tasty treat in a small Tibetan eatery,
which served delicious mutton momos. The ice tea was too sugary, but if you
think about it, it was natural to have something sweet at the confluence of
three faiths.
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| Lomash Rishi temple |
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| Padmasambhava statue towers above everything |
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| View from up |
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| Panoramic view of the town |
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| At a shop near the lake |
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