Rawalsar ( Rewalsar ) - a city in the district of Mandi in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh .
| City | |
| Revalarsar | |
|---|---|
| English Rewalsar | |
| A country |  India |
| State | Himachal Pradesh |
| Area | Mandi |
| History and Geography | |
| Center height | |
| Timezone | UTC + 5: 30 |
| Population | |
| Population | 1,369 people ( 2001 ) |
Content
Demographics
According to the 2001 census in India [1], the population of Revalsar is 1369 people. Of these, 54% are men and 46% are women. The literacy rate is 76%, which is more than the average Indian level of 59.5%. Literacy of the male half of the population is 78%, female - 73%. In Revalsar, 12% of the population are children under 6 years old.
Geography
Revalsar is located at an altitude of 1360 meters above sea level. It is connected to Mundi by road and is located at a distance of about 25 kilometers from it. Since Revalsar is located in the South Himalayan belt (zone), it can be frosty in winter, while in summer it is usually pleasant. [2]
Religion
Revalarsar is considered a holy city by representatives of three religions: Hinduism , Buddhism and Sikhism .
Hinduism
Seven mythological lakes associated with the Pandavas from Mahabharata are located above Revalsar. Also associated with Revalar are legends about the god Shiva and Rishi Lomas. [3] There is a famous Krishna temple in the city.
Sikhism
Tenth Sikh Guru Guru Gobind Singh visited Revalsar to meet with the kings of the mountain states, seeking support against Aurangzeb . He was in Revalarsar for about a month. Raja Yoginder Sen of Mandi built the gurudwara in Revalsar in 1930 in memory of the visit of the Guru. [four]
Buddhism
The famous Lake Revalsar ( Tso Pema in Tibetan ) is associated with Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), which is considered the second Buddha of our era. According to one version of the legend, King Mandi burned Padmasambhava alive because of rumors that the Guru was trying to teach his daughter the Dharma . The funeral pyre burned for a whole week with large puffs of black smoke, but when it burned out, a lake appeared in its place, and Padmasambhava appeared as a 16-year-old youth in a lotus in the center of the lake. The king repented of his atrocity and gave his daughter in marriage to Padmasambhava. [five]
It was from Tso Pem that Padmasambhava went to Tibet to spread the Vajrayana Buddhism . [five]
Tsechu Fair was held in Revalarsar in 2004 in honor of Padmasambhava's birthday. The fair was opened by the Dalai Lama and was visited by Karmapa Urgyen Trinle Dorje , as well as 50,000 other Buddhist pilgrims. [6] The fair was held after a 12-year break. [7]
There are also other versions of the legend that note that the lake associated with the birth of Padmasambhava is located in Pakistan or Afghanistan . [8] Be that as it may, Revalsar is a famous pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and there are two monasteries there - Drikung Kadyud Gompa and Tso-Pema Ogien Heru-kai Nyingmapa Gompa. [9]
Lake Revalsar
The lake around which the town of Revalsar is built has a maximum depth of 6.5 meters. By nature, the lake is oligotrophic and has a rectangular shape. [ten]
Notes
- β "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional) . " Indian Census Commission. Archived from the original 2004-06-16.
- β Himachal Pradesh Official Tourism Site Archived on September 3, 2006.
- β Legends of Revalarsar
- β Visit of Guru Gobind Singh to Revalsar
- β 1 2 One of the versions of the Buddhist legend
- β Article in The Tribune
- β Article in The Tribune
- β Another version of a Buddhist legend
- β Buddhist monasteries in Revalarsar
- β Essay on Lake Revalsar Archived on June 11, 2007.