Girnar is an ancient hill in
Junagadh
Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state.
Literally ...
,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, India.
Geology
Mount Girnar is a major
igneous plutonic complex which intruded into the
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
s towards the close of the
Deccan Trap
The Deccan Traps is a large igneous province of west-central India (17–24°N, 73–74°E). It is one of the largest volcanic features on Earth, taking the form of a large shield volcano. It consists of numerous layers of solidified flood ...
period. The rock types identified in this complex are
gabbros
Gabbro () is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is ch ...
(tholeiitic and alkalic),
diorite
Diorite ( ) is an intrusive igneous rock formed by the slow cooling underground of magma (molten rock) that has a moderate content of silica and a relatively low content of alkali metals. It is intermediate in composition between low-sili ...
s,
lamprophyre
Lamprophyres () are uncommon, small-volume ultrapotassic igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks, and small intrusions. They are alkaline silica- undersaturated mafic or ultramafic rocks with high magnesium ...
s,
alkali-syenites and
rhyolites. The parent gabbroic magma is shown to have given rise in sequence to diorites, lamprophyres and alkali-syenites. The
rhyolite, though earlier considered a product of differentiation, is now believed to be an independent
magma
Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...
without any genetic link with the gabbro and its variants.
History
![Junagadh Girnar Hill map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Junagadh_Girnar_Hill_map.jpg)
Fourteen of
Ashoka
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...
's
Major Rock Edicts
The Major Rock Edicts of Indian Emperor Ashoka refer to 14 separate major Edicts of Ashoka which are significantly detailed and represent some of the earliest dated rock inscriptions of any Indian monarch. These edicts are preceded chronologica ...
, dating to circa 250 BCE, are inscribed on a large boulder that is housed in a small building located outside the town of
Junagadh
Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state.
Literally ...
on
Saurashtra peninsula in the state of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is located on Girnar Taleti road, at about 2 km (1.2 mi) far from Uperkot Fort easterly, some 2 km before Girnar Taleti. An uneven rock, with a circumference of seven meters and a height of ten meters, bears inscriptions etched with an iron pen in Brahmi script in a language similar to Pali and date back to 250 BCE, thus marking the beginning of written history of Junagadh.
On the same rock there are inscriptions in Sanskrit added around 150 CE by Mahakshatrap
Rudradaman I
Rudradāman I (r. 130–150) was a Śaka ruler from the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. He was the grandson of the king Caṣṭana. Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the Sātavāhana Empire. Rudradāman I took up the title of ''Mah ...
, the
Saka
The Saka ( Old Persian: ; Kharoṣṭhī: ; Ancient Egyptian: , ; , old , mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit ( Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples who hist ...
(Scythian) ruler of
Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...
, a member of the
Western Satraps dynasty (see
Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman
The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Western Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India ...
).
The edict also narrates the story of Sudarshan Lake which was built or renovated by Rudradaman I, and the heavy rain and storm due to which it had broken.
Another inscription dates from about 450 CE and refers to
Skandagupta
Skandagupta ( Gupta script: ''Ska-nda-gu-pta'', r. c. 455-467) was a Gupta Emperor of India. His Bhitari pillar inscription suggests that he restored the Gupta power by defeating his enemies, who may have been rebels or foreign invaders. He ...
, the last
Gupta Empire
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...
.
The protective building around the edicts was built in 1900 by Nawab Rasool Khan of
Junagadh State at a cost of Rs 8,662. It was repaired and restored in 1939 and 1941 by the rulers of Junagadh. The wall of the structure had collapsed in 2014.
A much smaller replica of these Girnar edicts has been positioned outside the entrance of the
National Museum in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
.
Similarly, inside the
Parliament Museum
The Parliament Museum is a museum in the Parliament of India Library Building in New Delhi, close to the Sansad Bhavan. It was inaugurated by then Speaker of Lok Sabha on 29 December 1989, in Parliament House Annexe, subsequently it shifted to i ...
at New Delhi, an exhibit replicates the act of artists sculpting inscriptions of Girnar edict on a rock.
Ashoka Rock Edict at Junagadh.jpg, Ashoka's Rock Edict
Ashok Shilalekh.jpg, Housing for Ashoka's edicts.
GRE1-2.jpg, Estampage
Estampage or stamping, is a term commonly used in epigraphy to obtain the exact replica of an inscription that cannot be transported.
According to Jayanti Madhukar, it is defined as: The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as:
Etymology
Acc ...
of a part of the inscriptions.
Amtiyako Yona Raja in Major Rock Edicts No2 in Girnar.jpg, "''Aṃtiyako Yona
The word Yona in Pali and the Prakrits, and the analogue Yavana in Sanskrit and Yavanar in Tamil, were words used in Ancient India to designate Greek speakers. "Yona" and "Yavana" are transliterations of the Greek word for " Ionians" ( grc, ...
Rājā''" (𑀅𑀁𑀢𑀺𑀬𑀓𑁄𑀬𑁄𑀦𑀭𑀸𑀚𑀸, "The Greek king Antiochos"), mentioned in Major Rock Edict No.2, at Girnar.
Girnar Ropeway
![Girnar-Ropeway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Girnar-Ropeway.jpg)
Girnar ropeway is Asia's longest ropeway. First proposed in 1983, the construction started only in September 2018 due to government approval delays and litigation. The construction and operation is managed by Usha Breco Limited. The project was inaugurated on 24 October 2020 by now Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The ropeway is 2,320 metres (7,600 ft) long, takes passengers 850 metres (2,800 ft) above the hill to the Ambika temple within 10 minutes of ropeway ride.
Jain Temples
File:Jain temples on Girnar mountain aerial view.jpg, Jain Temple on Girnar mountain
File:Girnar Jain temple - Neminath temple.jpg, Neminath temple
File:Tirthankar Neminath and Girnar.png, Tirthankar Neminath
File:Girnar Jain temple - Kumarapala temple.jpg, Kumarapala temple
File:Vastupala Vihara Jain temple on Girnar hill.jpg, Vastupala Vihara
File:Girnar Jain Temples - Samprati Raja temple front view.jpg, Samprati Raja temple
File:Chaumukhiji temple, Girnar.jpg, Chaumukhji Temple
File:Girnar Jain temple - Dharamchand Hemchand temple (1).jpg, Dharamchand Hemchand temple
Tanks
Outside to the north of the Kumarapala's temple, there is the Bhima Kunda, a tank measuring 70 feet by 50 feet. Below it and on the verge of the cliff is a smaller tank of water and near it a small canopy supported by three roughly hewn pillars and a piece of rock containing a short octagonal stone called ''Hathi pagla'' or ''Gajapada,'' the elephant foot, a stratum on the top of which is of light granite and the rest of dark the lower part is immersed in water most of the year.
As per historical records, Sajjana, the minister of
Chaulukya
The Chaulukya dynasty (), also Solanki dynasty, was a dynasty that ruled parts of what are now Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India, between and . Their capital was located at Anahilavada (modern Patan). At times, their rule extended ...
king
Siddharaja Jayasimha, built the Neminatha temple using the state treasury. When he collected the funds to return as a compensation, the king declined to accept it so the funds were used to built the temple.
Sahastraphana (thousand hooded)
Parshwanatha
''Parshvanatha'' (), also known as ''Parshva'' () and ''Parasnath'', was the 23rd of 24 ''Tirthankaras'' (supreme preacher of dharma) of Jainism. He is the only Tirthankara who gained the title of ''Kalīkālkalpataru (Kalpavriksha in this "Kal ...
, the image which was consecrated in 1803 CE (VS 1459) by Vijayajinendra Suri, is currently the central deity in the temple. The temple originally housed the golden image of Mahavira and brass images of Shantinatha and Parshwanatha on its sides.
The east facing temple has 52 small shrines surrounding the central temple. It has an open portico with ceilings with fine carvings. In the ''bhamti'' or cloisters surrounding the court, there are also some remarkable designs in carved ceilings. The roof of the ''rangamandapa'' has fine carvings. The shrine proper must have been removed and replaced with new one at the end of the sixteenth century or the start of the seventeenth century. It is known that Karmachandra Bachchhavat, minister of the king of
Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital of ...
, had sent a funds to renovate temple in Shatrunjaya and Girnar under Jinachandrasuri IV of
Kharatara Gaccha
Kharatara Gaccha is one of Shvetambara Murtipujaka Gacchas. It is also called the Vidhisangha (the Assembly) or Vidhimarga (Path of Proper Conduct), as they regard their practices as scripturally correct.
History
Kharatara Gaccha was founde ...
during the reign of
Akbar. There is a shrine housing replica of
Ashtapada
Ashtāpada ( sa, अष्टापद) or Ashtapadi is an Indian board game which predates chess and was mentioned on the list of games that Gautama Buddha would not play. Chaturanga, which could be played on the same , appeared sometime around ...
hill in the south, shrine with Shatrunjayavatar in west, behind the main temple, and Samet Shikhar (or Nandishwar Dwipa) in north.
Girnar's Initial trek
The base of the mountain, known as Girnar Taleti, is about 4 km east of the center of Junagadh. There are temples and other sacred places all along this stretch.
The traveller, in order to reach Girnar Taleti from Junagadh city, will pass through the Wagheshwari or Vagheshwari Gate (Girnar Darwaza), which is close to the
Uparkot
Uparkot is a fort located in east side of Junagadh, Gujarat, India.
History
A fort and town was established at the foothills of Girnar hill during reign of the Maurya Empire and continued to be used during Gupta period, but it lost its importanc ...
fort area, Easterly.
At about 200 metres from the gate, to the right of the road, is the Temple of Wagheshwari (Upale Vagheshwari maa), which is joined to the road by a causeway about 150 yards long. An ancient Verai Mata mandir and a modern Gayatri Shakti Peeth mandir are nearby.
About a furlong beyond this is a stone bridge, and just beyond it on the right are the
Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts
The Major Rock Edicts of Indian Emperor Ashoka refer to 14 separate major Edicts of Ashoka which are significantly detailed and represent some of the earliest dated rock inscriptions of any Indian monarch. These edicts are preceded chronologica ...
.
The edicts are inscribed high up on a large, domed mass of black
granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...
measuring roughly 20 feet x 30 feet. The inscription is in
Brahmi script
Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...
.
They primarily are written in praise of 22nd Tirthankar Lord Neminath and how he attained salvation from the 5th and highest peak of the holy mountain. They confirm the presence of a pure and sacred Jain site along with the sacred footprints of Lord Neminath on the 5th peak / Ujjayanta. On the same rock can be found an inscription of the
Western Satrap
The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...
ruler
Rudradaman, the
Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman
The Junagadh rock inscription of Rudradaman, also known as the Girnar Rock inscription of Rudradaman, is a Sanskrit prose inscribed on a rock by the Western Satraps ruler Rudradaman I. It is located near Girnar hill near Junagadh, Gujarat, India ...
.
On leaving Ashoka's edicts, the route crosses the handsome bridge over the Sona-rekha, which here forms a fine sheet of water over golden sand, then passes a number of temples, at first on the left bank of the river and then on the right, to the largest of the temples. This is dedicated to Damodar, a name of
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, from Dam, a rope, because by tradition his mother in vain attempted to confine him with a rope when a child. The reservoir,
Damodar Kund
Damodar Kund ( gu, દામોદર કુંડ) is one of the sacred lakes as per Hindu beliefs, which is located at the foothills of Girnar hills, near Junagadh in Gujarat, India.
It is considered holy, as per Hindu mythology and many Hind ...
, at this place is accounted very sacred.
Next is an old shrine of
Bhavnath
Bhavnath is a locality in Junagadh city of Gujarat, India. It sits near the Girnar mountain range, close to Girnar Taleti, the place from where pilgrims have to ascend on foot to get to temples on Girnar hills.
History
The Bhavnath Mahadev tem ...
, a form of
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
, close to Girnar Taleti; Mrigi kund and Sudharshan lake are nearby.
Most persons who are not active climbers will probably proceed up the mountain in a swing ''doli'' from Taleti. A long ridge runs up from the west, and culminates in a rugged scarped rock, on the top of which are the temples. Close to the old shrine is a well called the Chadani vav.
The paved way begins just beyond this and continues for two-thirds of the ascent. The first resthouse, Chadia Parab, is reached, 480 feet, above the plain; and the second halting-place at Dholi-deri, 1000 feet above the plain. From here the ascent becomes more difficult, winding under the face of the precipice to the third resthouse, 1400 feet up. The path turns to the right along the edge of a precipice, which is very narrow, so that the ''doli'' almost grazes the scarp, which rises perpendicularly 200 feet above the traveller. On the right is seen the lofty mountain of Datar, covered with low jungle. At about 1500 feet there is a stone dharmsala, and from this there is a fine view of the rock called the Bhairav-Thampa, "the terrific leap," because devotees used to cast themselves from its top, falling 1000 feet or more.
At 2370 feet above Junagadh the gate of the enclosure known as the Deva Kota, or Ra Khengar's Palace, is reached.
Ambika
Ambika may refer to:
Mythology
* Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti
* Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess
* Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...
Temple
![Gorakshanath temple of Girnar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Gorakshanath_temple_of_Girnar..JPG)
South of this, is the Gaumukhi Shrine, near a plentiful spring of water.
From it the crest of the mountain (3330 feet) is reached by a steep flight of stairs. Here is an ancient temple of Hindu Goddess
Amba mata temple, which is much resorted to by newly married couples . The bride and bridegroom have their clothes tied together, and attended by their male and female relations, adore the goddess and present cocoa-nuts and other offerings. This pilgrimage is supposed to procure for the couple along continuance of wedded bliss.
Festivals
The main event for Hindus is the
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava.
In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...
fair held every year on the 14th day of the
Hindu calendar
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a ...
month of
Magha. At least 1 million pilgrims visit the fair to participate in
pooja and
parikrama
Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indian religions, Indic religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only ...
of Girnar hill. The procession begins at Bhavnath Mahadev Temple at
Bhavnath
Bhavnath is a locality in Junagadh city of Gujarat, India. It sits near the Girnar mountain range, close to Girnar Taleti, the place from where pilgrims have to ascend on foot to get to temples on Girnar hills.
History
The Bhavnath Mahadev tem ...
. It then proceeds onwards to various
akhara
Akhara or Akhada ( Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artist ...
s of various sects of
sadhus
''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. The ...
, which are in Girnar hill from ancient times. The procession of sadhus and pilgrims ends again at Bhavnath temple after visiting Madhi, Malavela and Bara Devi temple. The fair begins with hoisting of fifty-two ''Gaja'' long flags at Bhavnath Mahadev temple. This fair is the backbone of the economy of Junagadh, as more than ten lakh pilgrims who visit the fair generate a revenue of 250 million in only five days.
See also
*
Radha Damodar Temple, Junagadh
Shri Radha Damodar Temple is a Hindu temple, situated in the Junagadh district of Gujarat, India. The temple is dedicated to the Damodar Hari, another name of Hindu god Krishna. In this temple, Damodar ji is worshiped in his four arms form of Lord ...
References
{{Gujarat
Hindu pilgrimage sites in India
Hindu temples in Gujarat
Tourism in Gujarat
Hills of Gujarat
Highest points of Indian states and union territories
Jain pilgrimage sites
Tourist attractions in Junagadh district