Girnar Jain temples

The group temples of Jainism are situated on the Girnar mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India, situated near Junagadh. There are temples on the hill sacred to the Digambara and the Svetambara branches of Jainism.In JainismAccording to Jain religious beliefs, Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankara became an ascetic after he saw the slaughter of animals for food on his wedding. He renounced all worldly pleasures and came to Mount Girnar to attain salvation. Here, he attained Keval Gyan and Moksha. His bride-to-be Rajul also renounced and became a nun.Jain TemplesGirnar was anciently called Raivata or Ujjayanta, sacred amongst the Jains to Neminath, the 22nd Tirthankar, and a place of pilgrimage before the days of Ashoka, 250 BCE.Situated on the first plateau of Mount Girnar at the height of about 3800 steps, at an altitude of 2370 ft above Junagadh, still some 600 ft below the first summit of Girnar, these temples of Jainism have marvelous carvings in marble, which can be compared to those of Delwada near Mount Abu in Rajastan. These temples attract devotees of both Shwetambar and Digambar sects of Jainism.On entering the gate of Jain complex, the large enclosure of the temples is on the left, while to the right is the old granite temple of Man Singh, Bhoja Raja of Kutch, and farther on the much larger one of Vastupala.