Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 159
लक्षैकं च तथा प्रोक्तं ग्रामाणां तु भयाणकम् । षट्षष्टिं च सहस्राणि देशो मागध उच्यते
lakṣaikaṃ ca tathā proktaṃ grāmāṇāṃ tu bhayāṇakam | ṣaṭṣaṣṭiṃ ca sahasrāṇi deśo māgadha ucyate
On dit pareillement que Bhayānaka compte un lakh (cent mille) villages. Le pays de Māgadha est dit posséder soixante-six mille villages.
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages
Tirtha: Māgadha (regional frame; specific tīrtha not named in this verse)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A narrator’s map-vision highlights Māgadha with a prominent riverine plain and ancient city silhouettes, while Bhayānaka appears as a darker forested tract—both marked by clusters of villages to convey scale.
FAQs
The verse situates renowned cultural regions like Māgadha within a sacralized description of the earth, supporting a dharmic sense of place.
No particular tīrtha is named; Māgadha is referenced as a deśa (country/region).
None.