Girnar is situated in Junagadh district of Gujarat. It is one of the most important and sacred places for both Hindus and Jains. If legends are to be believed, Girnar has been mentioned in Vedas. Historical literature suggests the mention of Girnar in the scriptures from the Indus Valley Civilization. Hence it is one of the oldest and respected pilgrimage sites in the world. Girnar is a range of mountains known as Girnar Hills. The five major peaks of Girnar Hills has six major temple sites. Overall, there are 866 Hindus and Jain temples around the 5 peaks at Girnar has. The famous Hindu temples are:
Sri Ambaji Temple
This is one of the 51 Shakti peethas. It is believed that the stomach of the Devi had fallen here. The temple is on the one of the top Mountain in the Girnar Mountains called Ambaji Shikhar. The temple is located at a height of 3664 feet.
Gorakhnath Temple
The shrine of Gorkhnath who is revered highly in the Nath sampradaya of Hinduism is at the highest point of Gujarat. The fourth tonk (peak). A 'dhuni' lightened by him also lies in the vicinity. Devotees can also spot his footprints over here.
Dattatreya Temple
One has to climb down from Gorakhnath Shikhar to see two ways with entrances. This leads to the 5th peak of Datta Shikhar. The temple has his footprints and an idol installed. Devotees can also pay respect to a small Shivling present behind the idol.
Bhavnath Mahadev Temple
The temple is located on the hills of Girnar and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The 'naked sadhus' also known as “Aghoris” come here to celebrate Shivratri. It is believed that Lord Shiva himself visits this place during Shivratri. The Shiva Linga of the temple is said to have emerged on its own.
Anusaya mata Shikhar and Kalika mata Shikhar
The two other famous temples are Anusaya Mata temple and the Kalika Mata temple. There are no steps built to reach the two holy places. One has to find out the way through the forest.
Apart from the prominent Hindu pilgrimage site, there is many Jain temples around. The renowned ones are as follows:
Neminath temple
The temple is dedicated to Bhagavân Neminath, the 22nd Jain Tirthankar. It is one of the largest temples at Girnar. It is believed that Lord Neminath has attained salvation or Nirvana here. It is said that Nemanath meditated for 400 years and passed away at this sight. Inside the temple, one can see the black granite idol of Lord Neminath with jeweled eyes.
Mallinath Temple
Mallinath Temple is one of the most visited temples at Girnar. It is located near Tirthankara Neminath temple on the hills of Girnar. The temple has a beautiful blue idol of Lord Mallinath, who was the 19th Tirthankar of the Jains. The temple was built by brothers Vasthupal and Tejapal.
The other important Jain temples include Rishabhdev temple and Parshwanath Temple. Rishabhdev was 24th Jain Tithanakr and Shri Parhvanath.
Girnar is undoubtedly is one of the most sacred places in India. The temples are at massive heights but pilgrims across India climb thousands of steps to seek blessings from God. To provide a bit convenience to these people, the Government has recently approved a Ropeway to connect Ambaji temple. It is expected to start in the year 2020.
