Haridwar, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Varanasi, Ajodhya, Mathura, Brundavan, Dwaraka, Puri, Tirupati, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, and so on—there are many well-known places of pilgrimage in India visited by millions of devout Hindus every year. There are, however, some relatively lesser known but no less important places of pilgrimage in other parts of India which too attract a large number of devotees. They have their historical, mythological and spiritual significance. It is a great experience in growing spiritual knowledge and insight to visit these places. One such holy place is Nrusinghanath.
Nrusinghanath temple of Orissa in India is situated at the foot hills of Gandhamardhan Hill. It is situated at a distance of 110 Kms from District Hqrs. Bargarh and 32 Kms from Sub-Divisional Hqrs. Padampur. The temple was founded in 14th Century A.D. Lord Nrusinghanath; the Vishnu incarnate is worshiped here in form of Marjara Keshari ( having Cat-like head and Lion-like body ) waiting to kill Mushika Daitya (mouse demon) who is said to have hidden in the tunnel. This mythological story is referred in the book ‘Nrusingha Charita’. The story symbolizes the grounding of demonic evil power which dared not to come out further as Lord Nrusinghanath has been guarding it since then. The temple of Lord Nrusinghanath is only 45 ft. high. It is divided into two parts; the first being the seat of the Lord and the other Jagamohan. There are statues of Nava-grahas (Nine Planets of Astrology) and incarnate forms of Vishnu viz. Bamana, Baraha and Nrusimha around temple premises. Lord Ganesh is depicted here as ashtabhuja or eight-handed Ganesh. There are statues and sculptures relating to different episodes of Ramayana and Mahabharata on the hillocks surrounding the temple. During the annual festival of Baisakha Mela, a large number of devotees gather in Nrusinghanath to celebrate birth day of Lord Nrusinghanath on Nrusingha Chaturdashi.
Nrusinghanath, besides being a place of pilgrimage, draws the attraction of tourists as a tourist spot with a natural scenic view. Flowing out of the confluence of seven fountains, called Saptadhar the perennial flow ‘Papaharini’ flows through Nrusinghanath which after running some distance merges in the river water of Ong which finally merges with the river Mahanadi. Besides being a home of rare medicinal herbs (many of them are yet to be identified), Gandhamardhan Hill has forest having large number of rare species of birds and animals.
I had my recent pilgrimage to Nrusinghanath on November 16, 2011 during my latest trip to Orissa.
Dr.Mahesh Chandra Panda