Within the picturesque beauty and the mesmerising greenery of Himachal Pradesh, lies the iconic village of Rewalsar. Situated at 1360 metres above sea level, this place promotes a significant example of religious fraternity. Rewalsar is home to Buddhist monasteries, Gurudwara and temples. The holy lake of Kunt Bhyog is situated here, which is associated with the escape of Pandavas, from the greatest epic- Mahabharata. The temple of legendary Sage Lomas- who impressed Lord Shiva through his hard penance, and the famous Rewalsar Sahib Gurudwara, made in the memory of the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji. But the most significant of all is the Rewalsar Lake, which is a sacred place for all Tibetan Buddhists. The lake made out of ashes, is a symbolism of spirituality, penance, love, sacrifice and faith. Herein lies the legendary tale of Guru Padmasambhava and Princess Mandarva, whose sacrifice made Rewalsar an iconic place in History.
Born out of a lotus, Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche in Tibetan, was considered the Second Buddha in Buddhism. According to Lenkyab Lama, manager of Mindrolling Monastery in Dehradun, Padmasambhava is considered to be the founder of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the time of his birth, various legendary tales have been associated with him. Among them, the legend of Guru Padmasambhava and Princess Mandarva has occupied a very significant place in Buddhism.
Mandarva, the princess of Mandi was an accomplished princess in herself. Many suitors like King of Magadha, Kullu and many other regional kings were ready to marry her. But Mandarva was in search of truth, her thirst for spirituality was making her obsessed. She was deeply hypnotised by the peaceful echo of the chants recited by a vagabond, which she thought as a divine voice. She was getting attracted more and more and could not resist her desire to meet him.
This lake has strong connections with Tibetan Buddhism. Mandi was earlier known as Zahor, and Padmasambhava started preaching Buddhism over here. The king of Zahor, Arshadhar was a Hindu King and the arrival of a Buddhist monk created a huge chaos. It was during that time when people were slowly embracing Buddhism as their religion, discarding the complicated rituals and sacrifices of the Vedas.
Dr. Kanta Sharma, Author of Research Study on Cultural Awareness stated that Padmasambhava was the Vice-chancellor of Nalanda University in 8th Century and came to Rewalsar to preach the ideals of Lama ideologies of Buddhism. O.C. Handa, author of "Himalayan Traditional Architecture" also claims that Padmasambhava, the promoter of Vajrayana Buddhism attained his spiritual powers in Zahor, which is widely described in his book 'Padmakaithaan'. Lenkyab Lama stated that among all the manifestations, the most significant one was in Zahor. That is why Rewalsar Lake is also called Tso Pema (Lotus Lake) in Tibetan.
Padmasambhava's teaching led thousands of people in Zahor to the path of spirituality and salvation. Mandarva, who was in search of eternal truth, saw Padmasambhava as the answer to her every question. Influenced by his teachings, she requested him to accept her as his disciple. Denied at first, but later on Mandarva's quest for truth was soon going to be fulfilled and she started learning the practice of Vajrayana Buddhism.
The king was fairly disappointed with her daughter being a disciple of a Buddhist monk and embracing Buddhism by discarding her own religion. Buddhist rituals were often seen suspiciously during that time. Therefore, she was put into prison. But by the time, she had attained enough powers that even being locked up in prison, she could easily meet her guru and continue her practise.
The localites claim that one of the soldiers of the King saw Mandarva practising various form of Tantric rituals with her guru. The soldier got suspicious and informed the king. Even after repeated warnings from her father, Mandarva sacrificed the luxury of her royalty and set out on the path of spirituality.
It so happened that one day, while they both were
absorbed in meditation, the soldiers of the royal court arrived there and arrested both of them. The King ordered Mandarva to be thrown in a deep dark well while Padmasambhava was ordered to be burnt alive.
A huge pyre was made and Padmasambhava was burnt alive. The pyre was so huge that it burnt continuously for 7 days. On the 8th day, the king found not a single remain of ashes over there. Instead, a huge lake was formed miraculously, in the middle of which Guru Padmasambhava was seen sitting on a lotus in the middle of a lake, in the form of an 8-year old child. The king realised his folly and begged for forgiveness. He embraced Buddhism and was now fully confident of the powerful practices of the Vajrayana form. He thought that his daughter might have attained equal powers and wished her to be back to life. Surprisingly, the princess was still alive in that dark well after 8 days. The folktale says that Mandarva was married to Padmasambhava ...but it still remains a matter of controversy. The Tibetan Buddhists claim that Mandarva denied to come back and spent the rest of her life in penance. The Kuan Rani temple (Princess of the well) in Mandi has been made in the memory of Princess Mandarva.
Rewalsar, whose state religion was Hinduism was transformed into Buddhism and the localites believed that it was all due to Mandarva's sacrifice.
It was Mandarva's austerity which made her sacrifice her royalty and attain the path of Buddhism. She paid a hefty price for seeking enlightenment. Padmasambhava's miracles were repeatedly heard in Rewalsar, but Mandarva's love was left incomplete.......forever.
We often hear love stories in the most clichéd form. But the tale of Guru Padmasambhava and Mandarva was legendary in its own way. Several myths and stories have been associated with them. But a love story connected spiritually, away from hopes and desires is very rare to find. Yes, its true that miracles do exist...and miracles don't have any explanations or logic, it just makes us believe in those unheared secrets, which might have lost their significance in the test of time.
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