Junagadh lies at the foot of Girnar Hills
and takes its name from the ‘Old Fort', which circles
the medieval town. The city is a great introduction to
princely Gujarat-a former Nawabi capital, filled with
palaces, minarets and colonial period buildings. Junagadh
offers a tremendous variety of monuments, museums and
wildlife, and a unique atmosphere of the Nawabi period
like a miniature Hyderabad. Its fun to amble through the
town's lively bazaars with a mixture of Buddhist monuments,
Hindu Temples, Mosques, bold gothic archways and mansions.
Junagadh is a exciting city to explore for anyone with
an interest in architecture and a taste for history. The
name of Junagadh itself evokes visions of old forts and
medieval walls, palaces and tombs. The city is best known
for its association with emperor Ashoka who carved inscriptions
preaching the Buddhist philosophy of ethical conquest
rather than military conquest.
General Information..
Population : 1.67 lakh Area : Temperature : Ranging between 20 - 28 deg cel in winters
and 28 - 34 deg cel in summers Languages Spoken : Gujarati, Hindi, English
Places of Interest :
Mount Girnar :
It is a steep sided extinct volcano, 4 kms away from
Junagadh at the height of over 1,100 m. It is a pilgrimage
place for both Jains and Hindus. The best time to visit
Girnar is early in the morning. The temple comprises
of a vast complex of courtyards, cloisters, lesser shrines,
exquisite carving on its pillars and the domed roofs,
decorated with unusual colored mosaic. The hill, ascended
by 7,500 steps, is reputedly covered with medicinal
herbs. Equally important, it holds the shrine of many
faiths. There is a Muslim Mosque at the foot of the
flight: 4,500 steps up is a Jain temple: a thousand
steps further is the temple of Ambaji. and at the very
top is the great temple of Guru Dattatraya.
Maqbara :
This mousoleum of one of the nawabs of Junagadh dazzles
with silver doors and intricate architecture, including
minarets encircled by spiralling stairways. This complex
was started in 1878 by Mahabat Khanji and completed
by his successor, Bahadur Khanji and enshrined also
Rasul Khanji in 1911. Beside the Maqbara is the Jumma
mosque, which dates to 1886-97 and has geometric rows
of coloured pillars leading to a cool marble minar,
and an Islamic religious school.
Ashoka's Rock Edicts :
One of the major sets of rock eddicts of Ashoka is still
legibly inscribed on a rock on the outskirts of Junagadh,
on the way to the Girnar Hill Temples. On a huge boulder
emperor Ashoka enscribed 14 edicts in around 250 B.C.
The inscription is in Pali script. The 16 principals preach
virtues like mastery of the senses, purity of thought,
gratitute, devotion, self control, secular thinking and
kindness, while oposing animal sacrifice and greed. Later
sanskrit inscriptions were added around 150 A.D by Rudradama
and in about 450 A.D by Skandagupta.
Uparkot :
The walled fortress of Uparkot, witnessed every change
in the lifestyle of Junagadh from Monastic Buddhism, Aryan
Hinduism, Pious Jainism, Islamic invasions, British colonisation,
the Nawabi spendour and finally, the victory of democracy.
An ornate entrance gateway leads to the ruins. A mosque
still stands in a state of preservation. A Nilamtope (canon)
was acquired by the Nawab of Junagadh from a Turkish Sultan.
There are also two stepwells, Jami Masjid and Buddhist
caves monastery in the fort premises.
Darbar Hall Museum :
This is another of Junagadh's half-derelict monuments.
The museum has the usual display of weapons and armour
from the days of the nawabs, together with their collections
of silver chains and chandeliers, and a few cushions
and gowns. There's a portrait gallery of the nawabs
and petty princes, including photographs of the last
nawab with his numerous dogs.
Madhavpur :
Endowed with beautiful sandy beaches lined with coconut
trees the town finds mention in scriptures as that
of great antiquity, for it is believed that Krishna
had married Rukmini at this place, the legend kept
alive by the Mer community by holding a fair on Chaitra
Sud 12 every year. The Haveli temple of Madhavraiji
is the chief attraction.
