Girnar

Plan of the Neminatha Temple, built in c. 1128. The surrounding devakulikas were added later. The walled enclosure measures 139 metres in length by 58 metres in width. The Neminatha image in the sanctum is of polished black basalt. A special feature of this temple is a panel of 108 well-carved footprints.

 Plan of the three-shrined Vastupala Temple (1231), so named after its builder who was chief minisiter for Gujarat at that time. According to an inscription, Vastupala built one of the shrines, the one dedicated to Adinatha, for his own good, the second one for the good of his dutiful and illustrious wife Lalita Devi’, and the third sanctum for the good of another illustrious wife’, Sokhu Devi by name.

Mount Girnar, about sa kilometres cast of Junagadh, as a gantic five-pesked rock formation of volcanic origin, rising steeply on all sites to a height of 1117 m above sea level. As to the famous sixteen Girnar Jain temples, it is the fact that they do not crown the top of one of the peaks (all five summits belong to the Hindan) but are located on a protruding ledge about half-way up the wester flank of the mountain which makes them one of most beautifully stunted groups of temples in India

At this height of the ascent-after the four thousandh step- the now level track passes through the extensive temple compound, but the bigh wall on both sides disclose nothing of the architectural richness behind them. It is only when looking back from the next elevation that the perfect layout and splendour of the temples is revealed to the beholder. The main temple, but in 1126 of black granite, is dedicated to Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara.

Being of royal descent, as all the twenty-four Titlurlars were. Arishanem (Nemi- natha’s given namey had become disgusted with the crack cunts of his time when he sw- happened on the way to his marriage to a daughter of the king of Deaka-hundreds of fenced-in animals condemned to be slaughtered for the guests at his wedding Sensing his involvement in these unjust doings, he discarded all his regalia and walked away.

At Girnar, in the Thousand Mango Grove halfway up the mountain, he pulled out his hair and took up the life of a laina monk. His bride followed his example and became a mun. Again it was on this mountain that he reached the highest state off enlightenment, and feally attained liberation .

To go co pilgrimage to a place credited with such sacred history is considered very meritorious still more to build a temple at such a site. This explains the great number of buildings at places like Shatrunjaya and Girnar. Some of the Girnar temples are not accessible, due to their bad state of repair.