Shri Shri Neminath Bhagwan Bhagwan
Shri Girnar Mahatirth
Junagadh, Gujarat
Sacred History
- Girnar’s main Neminath Bhagwan Tirth near Junagadh, Gujarat, is revered as the nirvana-bhumi of the 22nd Tirthankar, where Neminath attained moksha after intense austerities on the peaks of Girnar, making it one of the holiest Jain pilgrimages in India.
- Tradition narrates that Neminath renounced worldly life after witnessing animals prepared for his wedding feast, choosing asceticism and ultimately attaining keval gyan and liberation on Girnar, which anchors the mountain’s central spiritual identity for Jains.
- The principal Neminath Temple stands on the first peak and is commonly dated to construction phases between 1128 and 1159 CE, reflecting the Solanki-era flowering of temple building and patronage across Saurashtra.
- Architectural features include a rectangular plan with a quadrangle courtyard, pillared corridors, multiple subsidiary shrines, and richly carved ceilings and pillars depicting Tirthankars and deities, characteristic of Western Indian Jain temple craft.
- Medieval ministers and patrons such as Vastupal and Tejpal are credited with significant works on Girnar’s temple cluster, with allied shrines like Mallinath and Parshwanath attesting to continuous patronage and layered building history.
- The pilgrimage entails ascending thousands of steps from the base, with devotees undertaking pradakshina across peaks that preserve footprints and sites associated with diksha and meditation, reinforcing the living memory of Neminath’s tapasya.
- Girnar’s sacrality is also tied to the broader historical landscape, including famed inscriptions like Ashokan edicts in the Junagadh area and longstanding references to the mountain as Raivatgiri/Ujjayantagiri in tradition, underscoring deep antiquity.
- The black-stone murti of Neminath in padmasan is the devotional focus of the main temple; community lore records extremely ancient origins for the image, though the standing temple fabric aligns with 12th century reconstruction and later restorations.
- Today Girnar remains a core tirth on the Jain pilgrimage circuit, uniting Shwetambar devotees and broader visitors in a setting where art, landscape, and ascetic memory converge around Neminath Bhagwan’s life and liberation.
Facilities
Dharmashala
Aayambilshala
Bhojanshala
Local Travel
Vaiyavachh Khata
