मंकन

यन्त्रोपारोपितकोशांशः

Purana Encyclopedia

पृष्ठभागोऽयं यन्त्रेण केनचित् काले काले मार्जयित्वा यथास्रोतः परिवर्तयिष्यते। तेन मा भूदत्र शोधनसम्भ्रमः। सज्जनैः मूलमेव शोध्यताम्।

MAṄKAṆA (MAṄKANA) : A barber of Vārāṇasī who was a great devotec of Gaṇeśa. During the time of King Divodāsa II Śiva wanted to destroy the city of Kāśī and deputed his son Gaṇeśa (Nikumbha) for the same.

Gaṇeśa came to Kāśī and appearing in person before his devotee Maṅkaṇa, asked him to build a temple on the outskirts of Kāśī. Maṅkaṇa completed the temple and Gaṇeśa (Nikumbha) installed himself in that temple getting for it the name Nikumbhamandira. Devotees began to flow into the temple and Nikumbha sitting there answered the prayers of all. But he never fulfilled the prayer of the King to have a son. This annoyed Divodāsa and he destroyed the temple and then Nikumbha cursed that the city of Kāśī would become desolate. Śiva's desire thus became fulfilled. (92. 33, Vāyu Purāṇa and 3; 67, 43, Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa).


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*9th word in left half of page 480 (+offset) in original book.