Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 2
महेशो हिमवद्द्रोण्यां तताप परमं तपः । सर्वैर्गणैः परिवृतो वीरभद्रादिभिस्तदा
maheśo himavaddroṇyāṃ tatāpa paramaṃ tapaḥ | sarvairgaṇaiḥ parivṛto vīrabhadrādibhistadā
तेव्हा महेशाने हिमालयाच्या एका द्रोणीत परम तप केले. त्या वेळी तो वीरभद्र आदी सर्व गणांनी वेढलेला होता.
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative style)
Tirtha: Himavad-droṇī tapas-sthāna (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: (Contextual) audience in Kedārakhaṇḍa frame
Scene: Maheśa seated in deep meditation in a Himalayan valley; Vīrabhadra and gaṇas forming a protective semicircle; snow peaks, pine forests, and a still, charged atmosphere.
FAQs
Even the Supreme Lord exemplifies tapas, teaching that disciplined austerity sanctifies a place and elevates seekers.
The Himālaya valley setting within the Kedārakhaṇḍa context, pointing to the Kedāra sacred landscape.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the focus is on Śiva’s tapas as the source of sanctity.