Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 3
प्रागेव चंडिकां देवीं क्षेत्रादीशानतः स्थिताम् । आसेदुर्मार्गखिन्नास्ते द्रौपदीपंचमास्तदा
prāgeva caṃḍikāṃ devīṃ kṣetrādīśānataḥ sthitām | āsedurmārgakhinnāste draupadīpaṃcamāstadā
Terlebih dahulu, mereka mendekati Caṇḍikā Devī yang bersemayam di arah timur laut kawasan suci itu. Letih oleh perjalanan, mereka tiba di sana ketika itu, dengan Draupadī sebagai yang kelima bersama mereka.
Narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)
Tirtha: Caṇḍikā-kṣetra (as implied by the shrine within the precinct)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī arrive dusty and weary at a northeastern shrine of Caṇḍikā—lion-emblem, trident motifs, red cloths—set slightly elevated, marking the edge of the sacred precinct.
FAQs
Pilgrims seek refuge first in the Mother Goddess; sacred geography (directions within a kṣetra) is treated as spiritually meaningful.
A Caṇḍikā Devī location within a ‘kṣetra’ is indicated (northeast side), but the broader place-name is not provided in this verse.
No explicit ritual is stated here; it narrates darśana/approach to the Devī shrine.