Amṛtavāpī means “the well of nectar”. It is a sacred well, or kuṇḍa, in the Setu-kshetra on the Gandhamādana mountain, near the Ekāntarāmanātha tīrtha (holy bathing place). Its origin is linked with the tapas (austerity) of a brother of the ṛshi Agastya, whom Bhagavān Śiva himself sent to this kshetra.

Origin

Agastya’s brother did hard tapas in the Setu-kshetra, aimed at Bhagavān Śiva. Bhagavān Śiva was moved by his devotion and appeared before him. He sent him to the Ekāntarāmanātha tīrtha and to the Amṛtavāpī in the same area. The well holds amṛta, the nectar of immortality. So it has the power to give moksha (liberation) and the highest varas (boons) to those who drink or bathe in its water (Chapter 13).

Connection to Ekāntarāmanātha

Amṛtavāpī lies near the Ekāntarāmanātha tīrtha. That tīrtha has its name because Bhagavān Rāma took counsel in private (ekānta) at this place before the great battle at Laṅkā. Together, Amṛtavāpī and the Ekāntarāmanātha tīrtha form a sacred group on the Gandhamādana mountain, where the grace of Bhagavān Śiva and the presence of Bhagavān Rāma meet (Chapter 13).

Sources

Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Setu Māhātmya, Chapter 13