Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46
तस्यास्तुष्टो वरं प्रादात्सिद्धलिंगस्थितो हरः । अनभ्यर्च्य य एनां च मत्पूजां प्रकरिष्यति
tasyāstuṣṭo varaṃ prādātsiddhaliṃgasthito haraḥ | anabhyarcya ya enāṃ ca matpūjāṃ prakariṣyati
तिच्यावर प्रसन्न होऊन सिद्धलिंगात स्थित हराने वर दिला—‘जो कोणी प्रथम हिचे पूजन न करता माझी पूजा करील,
Śiva (Hara), quoted within Sūta’s narration
Tirtha: Siddha-liṅga and Vaṭayakṣiṇī (paired kṣetra focus)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Śiva (Hara) abiding in the Siddha-liṅga appears or speaks, granting a boon and declaring that worshippers must first worship ‘her’ (Vaṭayakṣiṇī/Devī-aṃśa) before worshipping him.
FAQs
Sacred places often preserve specific worship-order (krama); honoring the local Devī manifestation is integral to fruitful Śiva worship.
The Siddha-liṅga shrine and the nearby Vaṭayakṣiṇī presence on the bank are central to this local māhātmya.
One should worship Vaṭayakṣiṇī before undertaking Śiva’s worship at the Siddha-liṅga.