Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 70
तथा बहुतिथं कालं द्वीपोभूत्सोपि मंदरः । यियासुना च देवेन मंदरं चित्रकंदरम्
tathā bahutithaṃ kālaṃ dvīpobhūtsopi maṃdaraḥ | yiyāsunā ca devena maṃdaraṃ citrakaṃdaram
Demikianlah, untuk waktu yang amat lama, Gunung Mandara itu pun menjadi laksana sebuah pulau. Dan Sang Dewa, berkehendak untuk berangkat, memandang serta mendekati Mandara yang bergaung gua-gua menakjubkan.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Type: peak
Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (typical frame; not stated in verse)
Scene: A vast mountain with painted, ‘wondrous’ caverns; the Deva poised to depart, looking toward Mandara as if it were an island amid cosmic waters.
FAQs
Holy landscapes can be portrayed as wondrous and set apart from ordinary space, inviting reverence and pilgrimage-mindedness.
Mandara, described as dvīpa-like and possessing marvelous caverns.
No ritual instruction appears; the verse continues the māhātmya-style description of the sacred locale.