Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50
शिखामाबद्ध्य दिग्बंधं कृत्वा रेभे ततो विधिम् । मध्ये वै मंडलस्यापि कुंडे शुभ्रे त्रिमेखलं
śikhāmābaddhya digbaṃdhaṃ kṛtvā rebhe tato vidhim | madhye vai maṃḍalasyāpi kuṃḍe śubhre trimekhalaṃ
他束起顶髻（śikhā），建立方隅护界（digbandha），遂开始所规定的仪轨。在曼荼罗正中央，于洁白清净的火坑（kuṇḍa）中，安置“三重束带”（trimēkhala）之布置。
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)
Tirtha: Siddhāmbikā-sthāna
Type: kshetra
Scene: The sādhaka ties his topknot, performs directional protection, and prepares a spotless white fire-pit at the mandala’s center with a tri-girdled arrangement.
FAQs
True sādhana unites inner discipline with outer correctness—protection, purity, and method support realization.
The Siddhāmbikā-centered Kāśī setting is implied as the sanctified ground where such rites properly bear fruit.
Śikhā-bandhana (tying the topknot), digbandha (directional protection), and preparing a clean central kuṇḍa with a tri-mekhalā arrangement for the rite.