Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1
। सूत उवाच । पुरा कल्पे भगवता एतत्क्षेत्रमनुत्तमम् । रुद्रेण ब्रह्मणे दत्तं तुष्टेन द्विजसत्तमाः
| sūta uvāca | purā kalpe bhagavatā etatkṣetramanuttamam | rudreṇa brahmaṇe dattaṃ tuṣṭena dvijasattamāḥ
সূত বললেন—হে দ্বিজশ্রেষ্ঠগণ! প্রাচীন কল্পে ভগবান রুদ্র সন্তুষ্ট হয়ে এই অনুত্তম পবিত্র ক্ষেত্র ব্রহ্মাকে দান করেছিলেন।
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti)
Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied by section)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (implied by Sūta-uvāca frame)
Scene: Rudra, serene yet majestic, gestures in donation (dāna-mudrā) toward Brahmā; behind them, a luminous map-like vision of the kṣetra appears, indicating a divine charter of sacred land.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s sanctity is rooted in divine intention—holy places are established and protected by the grace of Rudra for the welfare of Dharma.
An ‘anuttama kṣetra’ within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya; the chapter context links it with Hāṭakeśvara and the Mahāsena shrine complex.
No direct rite is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the sacred provenance (divine gifting) of the kṣetra.