Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 183
यानि कानि च तीर्थानि भूमौ दिव्यानि सुव्रत । कार्तिक्यां तानि सर्वाणि गोप्रतारे वसन्ति वै
yāni kāni ca tīrthāni bhūmau divyāni suvrata | kārtikyāṃ tāni sarvāṇi gopratāre vasanti vai
நல்ல விரதம் உடையவரே! பூமியில் உள்ள எல்லா தெய்வீக தீர்த்தங்களும் கார்த்திகையில் உண்மையாகவே கோப்ரதாரத்தில் வாசம் செய்கின்றன.
Brahmā (deduced)
Tirtha: Gopratāra
Type: ghat
Listener: Suvrata (addressed: ‘O you of excellent vows’)
Scene: A visionary tableau: many personified tīrthas—rivers, lakes, sacred peaks—arrive as luminous beings and take residence at Gopratāra during Kārtikā, surrounding the Sarayū with halos and banners.
FAQs
Kārtika amplifies sacredness; the tīrtha is portrayed as a spiritual ‘confluence’ where the merits of all holy places become accessible.
Gopratāra Tīrtha in Ayodhyā.
Implied Kārtika observance: visiting/bathing at Gopratāra during Kārtikā to gain multi-tīrtha merit.