Linga Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 7
Bhūtavana–Kailāsa–Mandākinī–Rudrapurī: Śiva’s Jeweled Abodes and Perpetual Worship
रम्यं ह्यविरलच्छायं दशयोजनमण्डलम् तत्र भूतवनं नाम नानाभूतगणालयम्
ramyaṃ hyaviralacchāyaṃ daśayojanamaṇḍalam tatra bhūtavanaṃ nāma nānābhūtagaṇālayam
It was a delightful tract, thick with unbroken shade, spanning a circle of ten yojanas. There lay a forest called Bhūtavana, a dwelling-place of many hosts of spirits and attendant beings—those who move under the Lord (Pati) as His gaṇas.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
FAQs
It frames the sacred landscape around Shaiva presence: a vast, shaded region identified as Bhūtavana, suggesting a kṣetra where Shiva’s gaṇas dwell—an auspicious setting for Linga-sthāpana and worship rooted in sanctified space.
By implying a realm populated by bhūta-gaṇas under divine order, it points to Shiva as Pati—the sovereign who commands and harmonizes diverse beings, even those considered liminal, within His cosmic governance.
No specific rite is stated, but the verse supports kṣetra-based sādhana: worship and contemplative practice in Shaiva forests associated with gaṇas, aligning the practitioner (paśu) toward Pati through disciplined presence in a charged sacred environment.