Tirtha Mahatmya

The place is presented as an ascetic forest in Ānarta where a crisis triggered by the falling of Śiva’s liṅga becomes the basis for establishing liṅga worship as uniquely authoritative; the site’s “glory” lies in being a setting where cosmic disorder is resolved through proper devotion and reinstatement of the liṅga.

Merit is framed through devotional correctness: sustained, faith-filled liṅga-pūjā (including tri-kāla worship) is said to lead to elevated spiritual outcomes (“parā gati”), and the act of honoring the liṅga is treated as honoring the triad of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā.

The core legend is Śiva’s wandering after Satī’s separation, the ascetics’ curse causing the liṅga to fall into the earth and enter Pātāla, the ensuing cosmic omens, and the devas’ intervention culminating in the installation and worship of a golden liṅga named Hāṭakeśvara.