Paikmal

Paikmal lies near the Gandhamardan hills of western Odisha. At the foot of the wooded range stands the temple of Nrusinghanath, where Vishnu is worshipped as Marjara Keshari, the cat-lion. A stream flows past the shrine and descends in a series of cascades and pools.

The temple was built by Baijal Deva, a Chauhan king of Patna, in the early fifteenth century; an inscription on its wall records its foundation. Local tradition tells how the deity appeared and how Kondh devotees brought news of the sacred image to the king, who raised a temple for it. The hill and shrine thus joined royal patronage with older local traditions of worship. The festival of Nrusingha Chaturdashi draws worshippers to the site.