Skandapurāṇa (Skandapurana) chronicles that a certain sage named Akṣapāda (Akshapada) prayed to Varaṇeśvara Śiva (Varaneshwara Shiva) by the banks of the river Varaṇā (Varana) in Kaśi (Kashi), and thereby successfully attained divine grace under the order of pāśupata (pashupata) faith.