Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41
देवेनैव वरो दत्तो यत्र पूर्वं युगांतरे । पूज्यो महेश्वरः काश्यां प्रथमं कलुषापहः
devenaiva varo datto yatra pūrvaṃ yugāṃtare | pūjyo maheśvaraḥ kāśyāṃ prathamaṃ kaluṣāpahaḥ
En ce lieu, dans un âge ancien, le Dieu Lui-même accorda une grâce : que Maheśvara fût adoré le premier à Kāśī, Lui qui efface souillure et péché.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Maheśvara (as first-worshipped deity in Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Scene: In a former yuga, the deity grants a boon establishing Maheśvara as the first worship in Kāśī; a divine assembly witnesses the decree, with Kāśī personified as a radiant city-goddess in the background.
FAQs
Right order and intention in worship matter; in Kāśī, Śiva is affirmed as the foremost purifier to be honored first.
Kāśī itself, as the city where Maheśvara’s worship is given primacy by divine decree.
That Maheśvara should be worshipped first (prathama-pūjā) in Kāśī.