Rewalsar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandi district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Rewalsar is also known by Trisangam. Rewalsar is located at an altitude of 1360 metres above sea level and is about 25 km from Mandi.
Lying in the Southern Himalayan belt, winters in Rewalsar can be freezing cold, while summers are generally pleasant.
Rewalsar is sacred to adherents of three major religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The Rewalsar lake is famous for its floating islands of reed. It is believed that all seven of them can be moved by prayer or breeze.
Buddhism:
The famous Rawalsar lake is also associated with Guru Padmasambhava , who is recognised as the second Buddha of this age. One version of a legend has it that the king of Mandi had Padmasambhava burnt alive after rumours that the Guru had attempted to teach his daughter the Dharma, which was not accepted then.
The pyre burned for a full week, with great clouds of black smoke arising from it, but after a week, a lake appeared at the spot where he was burnt and Padmasambhava manifested himself as a 16 year old boy from within a lotus in the middle of the lake. The king, repenting his actions, married his daughter with Padmasambhava. It was from Tso Pema that Padmasambhava went to Tibet to spread Vajrayana Buddhism.