Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
ततः कालेन महता वल्मीकः समपद्यत । तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे स पाताले संप्रयातः शनैःशनैः
tataḥ kālena mahatā valmīkaḥ samapadyata | tasminkṣetre sa pātāle saṃprayātaḥ śanaiḥśanaiḥ
ثم بعد مُدّةٍ طويلةٍ من الزمان تكوَّنَ وَلْمِيكَةٌ (تلّ النمل). وفي ذلك الحقل المقدّس أخذت تهبطُ شيئًا فشيئًا إلى پاتالا (العالم السفلي) على مهل.
Skanda (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)
Tirtha: Nāgabila (forming stage)
Type: kund
Scene: A sacred field over long ages: an anthill rises, then slowly sinks as if the earth opens; the mound becomes a subtle portal to the underworld.
FAQs
Sacred places are portrayed as living thresholds—time itself reveals hidden routes and powers within a tīrtha.
The kṣetra connected to the Nāgabila/Hāṭakeśvara milieu in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
None explicitly here; it sets the mythic geography that later supports worship and merit.