Tso Pema is the name of a sacred lake about 5 hours by bus, south east of Dharamsala, near the city of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. The lake is sacred to the Siddha Padma Sambhava as it was here that he magically transformed himself into a lake that is now the home of Dakini's and several Monestaries. It is also where Padma Sambhava met who was one of his two central consorts, Mandarava - Princess of Mandi.

Story has it that Mandarava was the princess of the King of Mandi. And coming of age, the King wanted for Mandarava to marry a noble male of princely status whom together would later take on the responsiblilties of King and Queen of his city and kingdom.  Despite this precious oppurtunity, Mandarava would have none of it and wanted only to live a simple life and pratice Dharma. Her father had other views and would not let his dautghter be reduced to the status of a simple "pesant" and thus attempted to force Mandarava to marry one of the kings chosen suitors. At this Mandarava resisted even more, confining herself to her room were she pulled at here hair and scarred her face with her nails so that no prince would want her.
 

At this point, Guru Rinpoche, looking down from Dzong-do-Palri (his hevenly copper colored abode where he resides even now) took pity on Mandarava and decided to liberate her. Guru Rinpoche sat atop a rainbow above the mountain crags and spires that lied just south of Mandi and radiated his blessings to Mandarava in her castle. Mandarava seeing this, left the castle and headed south to the village of Rewalsar where she met Guru Rinpoche and recived teachings from him on how to train her mind and purify the winds and channels in her body.

The King, hearing that a wicked Siddha had taken her daughter who praticed the left hand path of psycho-sexual Tantric alchemy; was copulating with her daughter, he sent out a garrison to capture this "wicked siddha" and burn him alive at the village of Rewalsar. The garrison, following orders from their kind, marched south of Mandi where they found Padma Sambhava and Mandarava praticing the Dharma in a cave, surrounded by vicious wolves and tigers. 

The garrison, though terrified at the sight followed orders and took Padmasambhava from his cave, stripped him naked and built a pire at the edge of town. They strapped Padma Sambhava to a stake and with a single spark, lit the Pyre which engulfed Padma's body completely. The garrison, stepping back, laughed and Mandarava seeing this site broke down in tears crying about the fate of her guru.

The Garrison had just decided that their mission had been accomplished when the flames from the pire grew bigger and bigger until they engulfed the entire area and reached so high that the flames touched the sky and the air filled with black smoke. Appaled at this site, the garrison stood for and entire week as the pyre raged and refused to die down. 
 

Buring and Burning day and night the pyre consumed all and was seen as far north as Mandi itself. After a week had passed, the pyre eventually dissapered completely one early misty morning and as the garrison had waited patiently to see if their job was completed, they were aghast to find in the place where the pyre burned, a small crystal lake with a single lotus flower in its center. Looking into the lotus they found a small 16 year old sky clad boy with a sweet sounding voice who said these words to them.

Ontul Rinpoche's Monastery

" My activities are as vast as the sky, I know neither pleasure or pain, fire cannot burn this inexhaustable body of bliss. " 

The garrison, terrified, ran screaming back to Mandi to tell the king what had happened. The king, after hearing of this paranormal refutation of his entire garrison decided to go see for himself. Arriving at Rewalsar he met the Lotus Born and in an act of devotion offered to him his entire kingdom. Guru Rinpoche refused his offer but consequently asked him to be able to teach his daugher Mandarava, the Dharma as in fact, she was a secert Dakini whos fate was to be completed with Guru Rinpoches blessing.

The King agreed and to this day, one can go to visit Tso-Pema (Lake of the Lotus) and see the caves in which Padmasambhava and Mandarava praticed tantric alchemy and drink from the lake that magically appeared in solid granite.