Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29
अष्टषष्टिस्तु क्षेत्राणां मदीयानां समंततः । संस्थितास्ति महाभागा येषु मत्संस्थितिः सदा
aṣṭaṣaṣṭistu kṣetrāṇāṃ madīyānāṃ samaṃtataḥ | saṃsthitāsti mahābhāgā yeṣu matsaṃsthitiḥ sadā
ഹേ മഹാഭാഗ്യവാന്മാരേ, എന്റെ അഷ്ടഷഷ്ടി ക്ഷേത്രപ്രദേശങ്ങൾ എല്ലാടവും വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; അവയിൽ എന്റെ സാന്നിധ്യം സദാ നിലനിൽക്കും।
Rudra (Śiva)
Tirtha: Śiva’s 68 kṣetras (Aṣṭaṣaṣṭi-kṣetra-maṇḍala)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A visionary panorama: Śiva indicates a mandala of 68 glowing kṣetras around the horizon, each marked by a liṅga/temple silhouette; the Mothers behold the vast sacred map.
FAQs
Pilgrimage is meaningful because the divine presence is understood as enduringly established in designated kṣetras.
Rather than a single site, the verse glorifies a network: sixty-eight Śaiva kṣetras where Śiva’s presence is said to be constant.
No direct prescription; it provides a doctrinal basis for tīrtha-yātrā and shrine-centered worship across Śiva’s kṣetras.