Girnar: Neminatha and the Sacred Ascent

The Girnar massif rising above Junagadh in Gujarat is one of the oldest sacred mountains of western India, holy to Jains and Hindus alike, and for the Jain community it is inseparable from the memory of Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara. According to tradition, Neminatha renounced the world on the eve of his own wedding when he heard the cries of animals gathered to be slaughtered for the marriage feast, and he retired to Girnar, where he attained enlightenment and, ultimately, liberation. The mountain is thus revered as both a place of his renunciation and his moksha.

The Jain temple complex clusters on a plateau partway up the mountain, reached by a demanding climb of several thousand stone steps that winds ever upward along the rocky flanks of the hill. The principal shrine is dedicated to Neminatha and is among the older surviving temples of the group, its dark image of the Tirthankara enthroned in a hall worn smooth by centuries of devotion. Around it stand other temples, including those associated with the Vastupala and Tejpala period of Jain temple patronage in the thirteenth century, whose merchant-ministers endowed shrines across Gujarat.

The ascent of Girnar is famously arduous. Pilgrims count more than nine thousand steps to reach the highest peaks, and the climb tests the body as much as it uplifts the spirit. The Jain temples occupy the first great plateau, and beyond them the path continues to Hindu shrines dedicated to Amba Mata, Gorakhnath, and finally the summit of Dattatreya, so the mountain is shared harmoniously by different faiths. For Jains the goal is the Neminatha temple group, and reaching it before the heat of day is the pilgrim's aim.

The architecture of the Girnar temples reflects the classic idiom of medieval Gujarati Jain construction, with carved pillars, domed ceilings and richly ornamented mandapas, all built of stone hauled laboriously up the mountainside. The setting is dramatic, with the temples perched among sheer cliffs and commanding vast views over the surrounding plains and the Gir forest beyond. The whole region carries deep antiquity; at the foot of the mountain stand ancient rock edicts of the emperor Ashoka, testifying to how long this landscape has drawn seekers.

Girnar is a place of great festivals, and pilgrim numbers surge during the annual Girnar Parikrama and on Jain holy days. The community maintains dharamshalas and pilgrim facilities in Junagadh and at the base of the climb. In recent years a ropeway has been installed on the mountain, greatly easing access for those who cannot manage the punishing stairs, though many devout pilgrims still choose to walk every step as an offering.

Junagadh is well connected by rail and road to the major cities of Gujarat, and the base of Girnar lies a short distance from the town. The cooler months from October to February are the ideal season for the climb, when the early morning air makes the long ascent bearable. To reach the Neminatha shrine, breathless and barefoot, and to gaze from that windswept plateau across half of Saurashtra, is to understand why Girnar has drawn pilgrims for more than two thousand years.