Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 43
महाकेशः सहस्रेण नंदिर्द्वादशभिस्तथा । नगः कालः करालश्च महाकालः शतेन च
mahākeśaḥ sahasreṇa naṃdirdvādaśabhistathā | nagaḥ kālaḥ karālaśca mahākālaḥ śatena ca
أقبلَ مهاكيشا ومعه ألفٌ، وجاء نَنْدي كذلك مع اثنتي عشرة فرقة. وجاء ناغا وكالا وكَرالا أيضاً، أمّا مهاكالا فجاء ومعه مئةٌ.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages
Scene: A vast assembly of Śiva’s gaṇas arriving in ordered companies: Mahākeśa with a thousand, Nandin with twelve groups, and fierce forms like Kāla, Karāla, and Mahākāla with a hundred—suggesting a martial mustering around a central Śaiva axis.
FAQs
Śiva’s entourage includes even the powers of Time and awe—reminding devotees that all cosmic forces stand within Śiva’s dominion.
Though “Mahākāla” is famously associated with Ujjain, this verse itself does not explicitly praise a tīrtha; it lists gaṇas.
None.