A great place of pilgrimage in the vicinity of the Avantī (Avanti) area. Any pilgrim who pays homage to the shrine of Rāma-Janārdana (Ram Janardan) at Aṅkapāda (Ankapad) does not have to visit Yamaloka.
Balarāma (Balaram) and Kṛṣṇa (Krishna) took birth in the Yadu clan in order to cleanse the world of all evil. They executed Kaṃsa (Kangsa) and delivered Ugrasena to the throne. It is Ugrasena who advised Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to pursue their education at Ujjayinī (Ujjain). The two assumed pupillage under the brahmaṇa (Brahmin) Sāndīpani (Sandipani) and completed the entire curriculum of the Four Vedas along with all the rites and even mastered the art of archery, all within a span of just sixty-four days. Impressed by their accomplishments, Sāndīpani praised them and bade them farewell.
Later on, Sāndīpani once took up the suggestion of his other pupils to visit Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to observe their activities. The two then asked him how they can repay him for his tutelage. Pleased by this, Sāndīpani tells them that his only son had been swallowed by a whale at Prabhāsa (Prabhas), and asked them to bring him back. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma agreed to this and set out in search of their teacher’s son. When they reached their destination, they realised that a great demon known as Pañcajana (Panchajan), disguised as a whale, had devoured the child. Kṛṣṇa exterminated Pañcajana but could not find the child inside the conch shell within the ogre. Outraged, the two rode the chariot given to them by Varuṇa (Varun) to invade Yamālaya (Yamalay; the abode of Yama, the lord of death). The sinners at Yamālaya , on seeing Kṛṣṇa, were purged of all sins and attained salvation; thus it so happens that almost all of Yamālaya was emptied out. Soldiers of Yama were killed in this embroilment, even Citragupta (Chitragupta) was injured. Infuriated by this, Yama hurled his fatal weapon daṇḍa (danda; mace) at Kṛṣṇa, but Balarāma caught it midway with the intention of flinging it back at Yama. At that moment, Brahmā appeared there and forbade Balarāma to launch an attack. Brahmā then sang eulogies of Kṛṣṇa and appealed to him to forgive Yama as the latter was not aware that Kṛṣṇa, in reality, was Viṣṇu (Vishnu) himself. When Kṛṣṇa asked for the life of his teacher’s son back Yama initially refused because obliging would mean breaking the eternal and absolute law of the world, breaking the cycle of life. However, he later agreed on Brahmā’s command and returned the child to Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma who brought him back to Sāndīpani . Aṅkapāda —the place where this glorious immortal feat took place—is now considered a great place of pilgrimage. It is the fifth site of Viṣṇu (Viṣṇukṣetra).