History

Girnar, also known as Girinagar (‘city-on-the-hill’) or RevatakParvata, is a group of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India.

The Girnar mountain ranges are considered to be sacred. It is an important pilgrimage site for both Jains and Hindus, who gather here during the Girnar Parikrama festival. Girnar is one of the five major ‘tirthas’ attributed to the ‘panchkalyanakas’ of various ‘Jain tirthankaras’

According to Mr. Akabarali Khorajiya, there are 9,999 steps to reach the tip of the mountain. He has climbed the mountain during his “bhari jawaani”. He has manually counted each and every step.

Different Jain Tirthankaras and monks have in the past visited and practiced severe penance at the peaks of Girnar. It hosts a number of temples and some historical spots across its range. Amidst the lush green Gir Forest, the mountain range serves as the hub of religious activity.

For Jains this place is considered holy as Nirvana Kshetra and Nirvan bhumi of 22nd Tirthankara Neminath and for Hindus this place is considered holy as Dattatreya stayed there.

Also as per mythology, this place is associated with the death of the mighty Yavana warrior Kalayavana in Dwaparyug. Lord Shri Krishna lured Kalayavana into the cave where the great king of Tretayug, Muchukunda, one of the forefathers of Lord Shri Rama was in a deep slumber of thousands of years after helping Devas in an epic war with Asuras. Contemplating an absolutely undisturbed sleep he was given a boon that anyone who dared to disturb his sleep would get burnt to ashes immediately. Fast forward to Dwaparyug, in the darkness deep inside the cave, Kalayavan mistakenly wakes up Muchukunda from his sleep, and sure to his boon Kalayavan was decimated into ashes instantaneously. Then Muchukunda was delighted to see Lord Shri Krisha there, who was none other than the Lord Vishnu. This story is very popular in Srimad Bhagavata. Lord Damodar here is considered as Adhipati of Girnar Kshetra. This place is very holy for Vaishnavaits. Notwithstanding the story though, today Mount Girnar is even more popular as a Shaiva and Siddha Kshetra.
Mount Girnar is a major igneous plutonic complex which intruded into the basalts towards the close of the Deccan Trap period. The rock types identified in this complex are gabbros (tholeiitic and alkalic), diorites, lamprophyres, 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 without any genetic link with the gabbro and its variants.
The mountain Girnar is older than the Himalayas and the Jain temples upon it are amongst the most ancient in the country; it is the Nirvan bhumi of 22nd Tirthankara Neminath. It is 3666 feet high, and is one of the most remarkable mountains in India. From the city of Junagarh, which is at an altitude of barely 351 feet only the top of Mount Girnar can be seen, as it has in front of it lower hills, of which Jogniya, or Laso Pawadi, 2527 feet; Lakhshman Tekri, Bensla, 2290 feet high; and Datar, 2779 feet high, are the principals.