Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 7
अहो विष्णुरहो तीर्थमयोध्याऽहो महापुरी । अहो माहात्म्यमतुलं किं न श्लाघ्यमिहास्थितम्
aho viṣṇuraho tīrthamayodhyā'ho mahāpurī | aho māhātmyamatulaṃ kiṃ na ślāghyamihāsthitam
โอ้ พระวิษณุ! โอ้ สถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์! โอ้ อโยธยา—มหานคร! โอ้ มหิมาอันหาที่เปรียบมิได้! ที่นี่มีสิ่งใดเล่าที่ไม่ควรสรรเสริญ
Agastya (quoting the brāhmaṇa/Dharma in narrative)
Tirtha: Ayodhyā-mahāpurī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee (Dharma) stands in Ayodhyā with uplifted arms, repeatedly exclaiming ‘aho’; the city’s temples and banners respond as if alive, with Viṣṇu symbols shimmering in the air.
FAQs
When a place is permeated by Viṣṇu and tīrtha-power, every aspect of it becomes worthy of reverence and praise.
Ayodhyā as a whole—praised as mahāpurī and tīrtha—is glorified.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse functions as a devotional hymn (stuti) celebrating Ayodhyā’s māhātmya.