The Glory of Avantikā (Avanti-māhātmya)

Kapāla-mocana is presented as an expiatory tīrtha where devotional bathing purifies even brahma-hatyā. In Purāṇic-dharma logic, such a claim elevates Avanti’s kṣetra-status by locating extraordinary prāyaścitta efficacy within its sacred hydrology.

The repeated pattern is snāna (ritual bathing) at a named tīrtha followed by pūjā (worship) of the presiding deity or liṅga with prescribed reverence and faith; results range from worldly success and health to svarga and final approach to Śiva/Viṣṇu abodes.

While Mahākāla and numerous liṅgas dominate, the chapter also highlights Mādhava/Keśava-related worship (e.g., Deva Mādhava, Keśavārka) and frames these as compatible within the same pilgrimage circuit, reflecting a pan-sectarian tīrtha ecology typical of Purāṇic mapping.