Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
तटेतटेपटुवटैरुच्चैःपटकुटी वृतम् । कुटजस्तबकैर्भांतमधिष्ठितबकैरिव
taṭetaṭepaṭuvaṭairuccaiḥpaṭakuṭī vṛtam | kuṭajastabakairbhāṃtamadhiṣṭhitabakairiva
Along every riverbank it was encircled by lofty, sturdy banyan trees, as if the shoreline wore a ring of leafy huts; it shone with clusters of kuṭaja blossoms, like a white heron-roost made radiant by birds perched upon it.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī–Gaṅgā-taṭa (general ghāṭa-maṇḍala)
Type: ghat
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (standard audience)
Scene: A continuous Ganga shoreline ringed by tall, sturdy banyans; leafy hut-like canopies; clusters of white kuṭaja blossoms; white herons perched, making the bank gleam like a garlanded pavilion.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as naturally sanctified—its landscape itself becomes a sign of holiness, inviting reverence through beauty and purity.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially its riverbank environment associated with pilgrimage and sacred presence.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse functions as māhātmya-style glorification through sacred topography.