Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2
महेशो हिमवद्द्रोण्यां तताप परमं तपः । सर्वैर्गणैः परिवृतो वीरभद्रादिभिस्तदा
maheśo himavaddroṇyāṃ tatāpa paramaṃ tapaḥ | sarvairgaṇaiḥ parivṛto vīrabhadrādibhistadā
Dann vollzog Maheśa in einem Tal des Himālaya die höchste Askese, umgeben zu jener Zeit von all seinen Gaṇas—angeführt von Vīrabhadra und anderen.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Himavad-droṇī tapas-sthāna (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: (Contextual) audience in Kedārakhaṇḍa frame
Scene: Maheśa seated in deep meditation in a Himalayan valley; Vīrabhadra and gaṇas forming a protective semicircle; snow peaks, pine forests, and a still, charged atmosphere.
FAQs
Even the Supreme Lord exemplifies tapas, teaching that disciplined austerity sanctifies a place and elevates seekers.
The Himālaya valley setting within the Kedārakhaṇḍa context, pointing to the Kedāra sacred landscape.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the focus is on Śiva’s tapas as the source of sanctity.