Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21
तथेति भगवत्योक्त्वा गणाः प्रासादनिर्मितौ । सोमनंदि प्रभृतयो ऽसंख्या व्यापारिता मुने
tatheti bhagavatyoktvā gaṇāḥ prāsādanirmitau | somanaṃdi prabhṛtayo 'saṃkhyā vyāpāritā mune
Sambil berkata, “Tathāstu,” menurut titah Sang Dewi, para gaṇa pun memulakan pembinaan prasāda (kuil). Wahai muni, dipimpin oleh Somanandin dan yang lain, gaṇa yang tidak terbilang dikerahkan dalam pekerjaan itu.
Narrator (Skanda, Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical Nāimiṣāraṇya audience)
Scene: At the Goddess’s assent, hosts of gaṇas—led by Somanandin—begin raising a temple structure in Kāśī, carrying stones, gold plates, banners, and ritual tools in coordinated motion.
FAQs
Divine work in a sacred place is supported by divine forces, underscoring the sanctity of temple-building in Kāśī.
Kāśī, where the Ratneśvara shrine construction becomes part of the kṣetra’s sacred history.
No direct rite; it narrates organized construction of the prāsāda by Śiva’s gaṇas.