Girnar Hill

Girnar is the eroded core of an extinct volcano rising to about 1,030 metres, and its slopes and summits carry temples of both Jain and Hindu traditions reached by a stone stair of roughly ten thousand steps. The Jain group on the first summit includes the twelfth-century Neminatha temple, marble and heavily carved; higher up stand Amba Mata, where couples come after marriage, then Gorakhnath, Oghad and finally Dattatreya on the last peak. A ropeway opened in 2020 reaches the Ambaji level, cutting most of the climb. An Ashokan rock edict from the third century BC stands near the base.

History

Girnar has been sacred to Jains for centuries as the place where the 22nd Tirthankara, Neminath, attained omniscience and nirvana, and in the 7th century the Chinese traveller Hsuan-tsang mentioned it as a place of "supernatural monks". Near its foot, fourteen of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts, of about 250 BCE, are inscribed on a great boulder, which also carries a Sanskrit inscription of around 150 CE by the Saka ruler Rudradaman I about the Sudarshan lake and another of about 450 CE referring to the Gupta emperor Skandagupta; the Jain temples on the south side of the mountain were built in the 13th century (Wikipedia, Girnar).

What to look for

• The ten thousand steps - the stone stair up the volcanic core.
• The Jain temple group - twelfth-century marble shrines on the first summit.
• The successive peaks - Amba Mata, Gorakhnath and Dattatreya above.
• The Ashokan edict - a third-century BC inscribed rock at the foot.

When to go

November to February; the climb is severe in Gujarat heat and pilgrims traditionally start before dawn. The Girnar Parikrama in November draws very large numbers around the hill.

Things to know

The full climb takes many hours and is hard on the knees descending; the ropeway shortens it but not the upper peaks. Monkeys along the stair are aggressive. No shade on much of the route.

Nearby

Junagadh town lies below; Gir National Park is south.

Key facts