Simhanath Temple is located in the Gopinathpur village, Baramba tehsil of Cuttack district in Orissa. It is one of the earliest standing temples of Orissa that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Here he is worshipped by Nrisimha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple positioned on a rocky island in the Mahanadi River reflects close resemblance with the earliest group of standing temples in respect to art and architecture.
The temple has a rekha deula and terraced roof jagamohana of traditional style of temple style of Kalingan order. The temple is unique for its depiction of sculptural embellishment of `Shaiva`, `Shakta`, and `Vaishnava` cults of Hinduism.
Archaeology of Simhanath Temple
The `Jagmohana` or the porch is influenced by the "Vaital Deul temple" in Bhubaneswar. The garbhagriha of the temple has a Shivalinga which has a yonipatta attached to earth. The temple resembles the Panchayatana style practiced by Adi Shankaracharya. There are many other temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesha, Surya and Mahishamardini that are found around the temple. The temple represents early development of Pancharatha Deula of Kalingan Architecture.
Festivals of Simhanath Temple
There are many festivals like Shivaratri, Makar Sankranti, Dussehra, Kartik Purnima that celebrated here.
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