Simhanath is an island on the Mahanadi River, about 50km upstream of Cuttack as the crow flies. The villages of Gopinathpur and Baideswar are located near the island on the left and right banks of the river respectively. Simhanath temple on the island is an 8th c temple, built just after Parashurameshwar and very similar in style. The main temple has smaller shrines all around it, all situated in a pit with their plinths well below the current ground level. I accessed the island from Gopinathpur to the north. Odisha’s public transportation network (which is all private) is so bad that the trip from Bhubaneswar and back took me all day!

Simhanath island and Mahanadi river

View from Simhanath hilltop

Simhanath Temple

A detached mandap-type structure, from a much later date.

Another temple higher up the hill