Rewalsar Lake, a square shaped lake with its shore spread over 735 m, is situated 24 km from
Mandi town in the district
Mandi, of
Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 1360 m and rests on a mountain spur which is protected by dense vegetation. This lake is considered sacred for Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists. The legend about this lake is that the great teacher Padmasambhava proceeded to Tibet from here, and with his influence
Buddhism took his root in Tibet at Rewalsar. It is also believed that the spirit of this great teacher resides in a tiny island of floating reed that drifts over the water. Rewalsar has three Buddhist monasteries and three Hindu Temples dedicated to
Lord Krishna,
Lord Shiva and to the sage Lomas. There is a small zoo near the lake and the Lake of Kunt Bhyog and six other lakes of mythology, 1750 m above sea level, lies above Rewalsar.