Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 39
प्रत्यक्छीतो दकंनाम उत्तरे च महाह्रदः । विष्कंभगिरयो ह्येत उच्छ्रिताः पंचविंशतिः
pratyakchīto dakaṃnāma uttare ca mahāhradaḥ | viṣkaṃbhagirayo hyeta ucchritāḥ paṃcaviṃśatiḥ
In the west is the lake named Śīta; there is also the lake called Daka; and in the north is the great lake Mahāhrada. These are the Viṣkambha mountains, rising to a height of twenty-five yojanas.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Mahāhrada (as archetypal great lake)
Type: kund
Scene: A western lake named Śīta rendered icy-cool; a northern Mahāhrada as a vast dark-blue reservoir; behind them, towering Viṣkambha mountains like pillars, annotated with ‘25 yojanas’ in a manuscript-map aesthetic.
FAQs
It emphasizes cosmic order—directions, waters, and mountains—supporting a dharmic worldview where creation is structured and meaningful.
No single earthly tīrtha; it names cosmic lakes and the Viṣkambha mountain range.
None; the verse focuses on description and measurement.