Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 34
भूलोके चांतरिक्षे च दिवि तीर्थानि यानि वै । अतीत्य वर्तते तानि तीर्थान्येतद्द्विजोत्तम
bhūloke cāṃtarikṣe ca divi tīrthāni yāni vai | atītya vartate tāni tīrthānyetaddvijottama
ഭൂലോകത്തും അന്തരീക്ഷത്തും സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തും ഉള്ള എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളെയും അതിക്രമിച്ച് ഈ തീർത്ഥം ശ്രേഷ്ഠമാണ്, ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമാ.
Varāha (deduced; Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā-kṣetra (as ‘etad tīrtham’)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dvijottama (best of brāhmaṇas) addressed directly
Scene: A cosmic map-like vision: earth, mid-region, and heaven dotted with tīrthas, all bowing or streaming their merit toward Ayodhyā; Ayodhyā shines at center with Sarayū and Viṣṇu’s presence.
FAQs
The text asserts a hierarchy of tīrthas, placing this Ayodhyā locus above even celestial pilgrimage sites.
Ayodhyā’s sacred region (contextually Svargadvāra/Ayodhyā tīrthas).
None; it is a doctrinal praise (māhātmya) establishing the site’s superiority.