Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1
ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि कुमारेश्वरमुत्तमम् । मार्कण्डेश्वरतो देवि दक्षिणे नातिदूरतः । धनुर्विंशतिभिस्तत्र स्थितं स्वामिप्रतिष्ठितम्
īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi kumāreśvaramuttamam | mārkaṇḍeśvarato devi dakṣiṇe nātidūrataḥ | dhanurviṃśatibhistatra sthitaṃ svāmipratiṣṭhitam
ஈசுவரன் உரைத்தான்—அதன்பின், மகாதேவி, சிறந்த குமாரேசுவரத்திற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும். தேவி, மார்கண்டேசுவரத்திற்குத் தெற்கே அதிக தூரமல்ல—இருபது தனுசு தூரத்தில்—அங்கே ஸ்வாமி பிரதிஷ்டை செய்த (லிங்கம்) உள்ளது.
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Kumāreśvara
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
Scene: Śiva instructs Devī to proceed to Kumāreśvara: a southern path from Mārkaṇḍeśvara marked by flags and pilgrims; the Kumāreśvara shrine appears as an ‘uttama’ liṅga, said to be installed by the Lord himself.
FAQs
Pilgrimage is taught as a guided sacred itinerary: moving from shrine to shrine within the kṣetra is itself a dharmic practice.
Kumāreśvara, located south of Mārkaṇḍeśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.
The directive is to go (gacchet) to Kumāreśvara; specific rites are not listed in this verse.