Girnar pilgrimage is of huge significance for the Jain community due to the strong footprint of 22nd Jain tirthankar, Neminath. On this mountain Neminath bhagwan took diksha (ordained as monk), got enlightened and took nirvana and left his body

Thus, I would appeal to all readers to look at a peaceful resolution of any religious conflicts in the area, so that both communities can worship the place in mutual harmony. Now, let’s now know more about Neminath and Girnar.

Neminath’s Marriage & Renunciation at Junagadh

One of the most well-known and often repeated stories of Neminath bhagwan is his marriage story. His betrothed Rajulmati was the princess of Junagadh during the Mahabharat era. As he neared the marriage mandapam, he realized that a lot of animals had been caged and would be slaughtered for the marriage feast. This led to him to decide to take diksha and dedicate his life to enlightenment.

Three interesting nuances to understand in this story,

• As per certain versions, in the previous 8 births of Neminath, he was married to Rajulmati’s soul. So, for him to break the same from happening in this life would have been momentous. Same would apply to Rajulmati, having married Nemi’s soul for past 8 births. Imagine her plight when this time Nemi has refused and gone for diksha. Must be a momentous situation for her also. And as they two were so deeply connected, naturally, she would follow in his footsteps. And when he gained enlightenment, she would also 🙂

• As per certain versions, His 10th birth before he became a tirthankar, he was a hunter and he hunted animals for a living. At the time, he felt much compassion for the animals. And vairagya rose in him leading him down the next births towards becoming tirthankar. So, the cries of the animals for his marriage procession being the trigger to renounce seem connected.

• A lot of stories suggest that the palace folks had kept the animals and planned to slaughter them for the royal feast. But it needs to be noted that as per Jain understanding, a person who will be the tirthankar in that birth itself, will never be able to eat meat or such un-satvic foods at any point in his life. Moreover, from the various Jain stories, most of these Jain kings and queens were quite religious and would take diksha soon in their lives. So, it is also unlikely in that context that the animals were going to be slaughtered for them. Possibly, the royal wedding would be a joyous occasion celebrated in the entire town, thus, certain communities who eat meat, would have kept those animals ready for their own feast (maybe compensated or sponsored by the royal treasury).

Neminath Kalyanak Spots on Girnar Mountain – Diksha, Kevalgyan, Moksha

Thus, after he left the marriage procession, he took diksha near the Sehsavan temple on the Girnar mountain. Check with a couple of folks at the Sehsavan temple and they will guide you to the spot. There is a small Jain temple there, there are also some small shrines and caves that the Hindus consider sacred. All in all, this place is a great one where many great beings have done their sadhana. So, just find a nice place to sit and meditate for a while.

The Kevalgyaan spot is very close to the diksha spot. As per records, he got enlightened 54 days after taking diksha.

And his Nirvana spot is also on this mountain range… but a little higher up. From Sehsavan I guess it is about 8000 steps or more to climb. The Girnar Ropeway would drop you from the base of the mountain to Amba temple, from there the top most peak where the Hindu Dattatreya temple is, about 7000 steps up. Near here is also Neminath’s enlightenment spot. Due to the whole Hindu – Jain conflict in this region, a lot of Jains don’t go to this enlightenment spot. But I met a person who did go till there and was returning down, he told me that there is a paduka and marker of Neminath’s enlightenment spot.

In fact, while going down to the foot of the hill from Sehsavan temple, keep checking with the local doli guys and vendors, because at one spot, you can see the enlightenment spot rising above in the distance. It is a powerful place.

Memories of this mountain pilgrimage really throws me into bliss. It was such a powerful and pure place.

Rajul’s Cave

Soon after Neminath got enlightened, Rajul also took diksha under him and attained enlightenment. Below the Amba temple, on the way to the main Jain temple complex there is a small road that goes to Rajul’s cave. I think she may have meditated and done her sadhana here.

Amba Mata, Neminath’s Shasan Devi

Amba mata is considered Neminath’s shasan devi. Basically, all tirthankars have some demi gods and goddesses who will support them through their era of spreading dharma and building religious infrastructure in the world. Amba mata was the main devi for Neminath. And Gomedh yaksha was the main dev (not sure if he is depicted in this Amba mata temple, have to go and check next time I am there 🙂 ). Let me know if you have any info.

Thus, Neminath bhagwan’s footprint is so deep on this Girnar mountain.

Wondering how to plan your Girnar pilgrimage keeping in mind that the ropeway is now available. Here is a detailed blog on ropeway details and best route options for Jain pilgrims that.

How Old is the Girnar Neminath Idol and Temple?

The main Jain temple complex is roughly at about 3000 steps from the foot. 1000 steps below the Amba mata temple and where the ropeway would drop us. The main deity of these temples is Neminath with a black idol that is considered timeless in the Jain understanding. There is a whole calculation that shows the idol to be 84785 years old. (calculation elaborated here). The only thing is that this calculation is done as per the longer yuga theory, which states each yuga will last 100,000 years and more. There is however, a shorter yuga theory which states each yuga will last about 3000 to 5000 years. I ascribe to the shorter yuga theory. I wrote a blog on that a while back.

The current temple that houses this deity was built in the 12th century. Though it is commonly found in Jain (and Hindu) temples that the main sanctum sanctorum and idols are much older than outer structures. With outer structures having been rebuilt many times.

Apart from Neminath’s main temple, there are many other ancient idols in this temple complex. It is truly wonderful to meander through these temple chambers taking darshan of the various idols and devotional worship going on in different corners. Since I usually don’t do the Jain pooja which requires having a bath, changing clothes, standing in line etc… I find myself free to explore all the nooks and crannies of these ancient temples. There are many other idols of Parshwanath, Mallinath and other tirthankars which devotees have lot of faith on. There will be large groups of people in specific chambers. So, apart from your rituals, I suggest you keep some time for exploration and learning more about the temple.

Sehsavan Jain Temple History

Right by the diksha and enlightenment kalyanak spots of Neminath bhagwan, there is this fairly large temple with a samovasran structure. Samovasran is basically the structure in which tirthankars give discourses. It is said that all forms of life will gather to hear him including animals and humans and birds and divine beings and so on. So, you will find that usually in these samovasran structures these different life forms are depicted. Explore this temple well, because it has little passageways. I found a small cave-like room which had a Neminath idol and a board suggested that this place was very significant. So, I meditated there before heading to the diksha and kevalgyaan spots.

This temple could be fairly recent. Though I assume older structures would have existed considering these are the spots where he took diksha and gained enlightenment. The current temple was built by a monk Shri Himanshusuri Maharaj Saheb. His samadhi is also near the temple.

Lots of great pics in the G maps location of this temple.

Hope this detailed blog post helps you connect deeper with Girnar. Share your experiences of the place. Or any more details about Neminath and this mountain 🙂