Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
ततः कालेन महता वल्मीकः समपद्यत । तस्मिन्क्षेत्रे स पाताले संप्रयातः शनैःशनैः
tataḥ kālena mahatā valmīkaḥ samapadyata | tasminkṣetre sa pātāle saṃprayātaḥ śanaiḥśanaiḥ
Puis, au bout d’un long temps, se forma une termitière (valmīka). Dans ce champ sacré, elle s’enfonça peu à peu vers Pātāla, le monde d’en bas, graduellement.
Skanda (deduced; Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)
Tirtha: Nāgabila (forming stage)
Type: kund
Scene: A sacred field over long ages: an anthill rises, then slowly sinks as if the earth opens; the mound becomes a subtle portal to the underworld.
FAQs
Sacred places are portrayed as living thresholds—time itself reveals hidden routes and powers within a tīrtha.
The kṣetra connected to the Nāgabila/Hāṭakeśvara milieu in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.
None explicitly here; it sets the mythic geography that later supports worship and merit.