Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 66
पश्चिमे तस्य मूर्द्धा तु गोप्रतारासिता द्विज
paścime tasya mūrddhā tu gopratārāsitā dvija
ഹേ ദ്വിജാ! അതിന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറ് ഭാഗത്ത് അതിന്റെ ‘ശിരസ്’ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു; അത് ‘ഗോപ്രതാരാ’ എന്ന സ്ഥലചിഹ്നത്താൽ അടയാളപ്പെടുത്തിയിരിക്കുന്നു.
Agastya (contextual; until explicit speaker change at 68)
Tirtha: Gopratārā
Type: ghat
Listener: Vyāsa
Scene: A pilgrim-sage is shown at the western edge of Ayodhyā, where a named spot ‘Gopratārā’ stands as a signpost; the city is imagined as a cosmic body whose ‘head’ lies to the west.
FAQs
The kṣetra is envisioned as a living sacred body; knowing its limbs and markers supports mindful pilgrimage rather than casual travel.
Ayodhyā-kṣetra, with Gopratārā named as a significant western landmark.
No ritual instruction appears; it is a directional/locational identification.