File:Gonasika Guptaganga Temple, Gonasika - 5.jpg

English: ' Gonasika ' is situated inside forest area approx 30 kms from Keonjhar town of Odisha state. Being inside deep forest , the scenic beauty of this place is very charming. It's also a famous picnic spot . The name ' Gonasika ', means nostril of Cow in hindi, sanskrit and many other languages. The source of water is a stone, which is shaped like nostrils of a Cow. As per mythology and local belief, this is the origin of the mighty Baitarini River of Odisha. There is no trace of any water flow or source coming from above this point of the hill. The clean and pure water comes out from both nostril of the stone, clearly visible as upper mouth portion of a cow. You can say this as ' Gomukh ' or mouth of a Cow. It is said that, in earlier times water was coming from one nostril and sand from another. But, now only crystal clear water flows uninterrupted from here. Beauty of this place gets more attractive during monsoon and winter season. A very good road is made up to Gonasika which connected to NH 49 ( Mumbai - Kolkata Highway ). It is also called the ' Guptaganga '. While coming to Gonasika , you will find a small but very old Shiv Temple called ' Brahmeswar Shiv Temple. From this Shiv Temple, the Gonasikka Guptaganga is another 2 kms up and inside forest. This place is totally safe for tourists, as a village called Guptaganga is situated nearby. Please come to see a place from where one of the important river of Odisha originates. Large tree trunks are spread in and around this small temple, which is called the ' Jata ' ( bunch of old and uncombed hair ) of Lord Shiva. You can take the holy / pure water direct from the source with permission of priest of the temple.