Skandapurana 3.2.41.32

3.2.41.32

31. Now, when the best of all sacred fords was asked of Vasiṣṭha by Rāma in order to remove the guilt of the murder of the brahmin-rākṣasa committed by him, the great seer Vasiṣṭha, after relating the māhātmya of numerous sacred fords such as Gaṅgā and Narmadā, describes the māhātmya of Dharmāraṇya while demonstrating its supremacy over all; having heard the māhātmya of the sacred field of Dharmāraṇya declared by Vasiṣṭha, Śrī Rāmacandra made a pilgrimage to the sacred field of Dharmāraṇya with his retinue; having gone there to Māṇḍalikapura, then, at Vasiṣṭha's command, Śrī Rāma, along with the local merchants, abandoned his palanquin carriage, and walking personally on foot with all his soldiers and retinue, performed the rites of pilgrimage according to the scriptures, installed the two Śivaliṅgas named Śrī Rāmeśvara and Kāmeśvara, attained fulfilment, and comfortably performed a fire sacrifice with his retinue on the riverbank; now, there at midnight, suddenly hearing the weeping of a woman, he sent his own messenger to her side to learn her story; then that woman stated: 'When Śrī Rāma comes here in person, I will report my story.' 147 1