Rewalsar Lake

Rewalsar, about 23 km south-west of Mandi at roughly 1,360 m, is a rare site holy to three faiths. Tibetan Buddhists know it as Tso Pema and connect it with Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and Mandarava; a 37.5 m statue of him, consecrated in 2012, stands on the hill above. Sikhs revere it because Guru Gobind Singh stayed here for about a month, and there is a gurudwara on the shore. Hindus associate it with the sage Lomas and keep temples to Krishna and Shiva. Floating islands of matted reed drift on the water.

1. Drive or take a bus from Mandi (~23 km, about an hour on a winding road).
2. Mandi is on the Chandigarh–Manali highway and has frequent bus links.
3. The lake, gurudwara and lower monasteries are walkable; the hilltop statue and caves are a short climb or drive.

March to June and September to November. It can be visited year-round; winter mornings are cold and misty.

• Observe the customs of each shrine — cover your head at the gurudwara, walk clockwise around the monasteries.
• Feeding the lake's fish and turtles is a local tradition; do not swim in the lake.
• The Padmasambhava cave (above the lake, near Kunt Bhyog) is a further short trek worth the climb.

Individual pages for these are added as they are reviewed.