Mandarava- Tibetan HeroHero"Princess of Zahor"
Also known as: Mandāravā and མནྡ་ར་བཱ
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Mandarava's father burned Padmasambhava alive for taking his princess from the palace. The pyre became a lake. On the lake sat a lotus, and on the lotus sat Padmasambhava, unharmed. Together they traveled to the Maratika cave, invoked Amitāyus, and won the deathless vajra body.
Mythology & Lore
Princess of Zahor
Mandarava was born into the royal house of Zahor, a kingdom in northwestern India. From childhood she turned away from the court. Her father, King Vihardhara, pressed her to marry. She refused, took ordination, and gave herself entirely to practice.
When Padmasambhava arrived in Zahor, Mandarava recognized him and became his consort and tantric partner. The king learned of it and was furious.
The Pyre
King Vihardhara had Padmasambhava seized and bound to a pyre. Mandarava was thrown into a pit of thorns. The fire burned for days. When the smoke cleared, the pyre had become a lake. Padmasambhava sat at its center on a lotus, unharmed. The lake is identified with Rewalsar (Tso Pema) in Himachal Pradesh, where pilgrims still gather. The king, shaken, offered his kingdom and his daughter to the master he had tried to kill.
The Maratika Cave
From Zahor, Mandarava and Padmasambhava traveled to the Maratika cave in eastern Nepal. There they invoked Amitāyus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, through intensive long-life practice. Amitāyus appeared and granted them the siddhi of immortality: the realization of the deathless vajra body. Both became vidyādharas of immortal life. The cave remains an active pilgrimage site.
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