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Home > Bharatavarsha > Pilgrimages and Temples > Gujarat > Girnar Kshetra (Raivataka Mountain) (Vastrapatha Kshetra) - Place of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Devi Parvati, Dattatreya, Gorakhnath and Neminath

Girnar Kshetra (Raivataka Mountain) (Vastrapatha Kshetra) - Place of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Devi Parvati, Dattatreya, Gorakhnath and Neminath

• Meditation:

► Lord Shiva: I meditate on Lord Shiva abiding in the Vastrapatha Kshetra (Girnar Kshetra).
► Lord Vishnu: I meditate on Lord Damodara abiding in the Raivataka mountain and Damodara Kunda of the Vastrapatha Kshetra (Girnar Kshetra).
► Devi Parvati: I meditate on Devi Parvati abiding in the Ujiyanta Parvata of the Vastrapatha Kshetra (Girnar Kshetra).
► Lord Vishnu: I meditate on Lord Vishnu abiding in the Raivataka Parvata of the Vastrapatha Kshetra (Girnar Kshetra).
► Neminath: I meditate on Sri Neminath who attained enlightenment in the Girnar Kshetra.
► Lord Dattatreya: I meditate on Lord Dattatreya who performed sadhana in the Girnar Kshetra.
► Sri Gorakhnath: I meditate on Sri Gorakhnath who performed sadhana in the Girnar Kshetra.

• Greatness:

• Girnar (Junagadh district, Gujarat) is a sacred place of Hindus, Jains and Nath Yogis. In the Hindu tradition, Girnar Kshetra is mentioned in Skanda Purana - Vastrapatha Kshetra Mahatmya and other texts. According to this, Lord Shiva once left Kailasha and went to Vastrapatha Kshetra, cast off his garments, and stayed there in invisible form. Devi Parvati, Lord Vishnu and other gods searching for Lord Shiva, came to that region. Lord Vishnu took a seat on Raivataka Parvata. Devi Parvati took a seat on Ujiyanta Parvata and started eulogizing Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva became visible and returned to Kailasha on the condition that all the gods should abide there. Thus Girnar became an abode of gods. Lord Dattatreya and Sri Gorakhnath performed sadhanas in Girnar Parvat. According to the Jain tradiiton, Teerthankara Neminath attained enlightenment in Girnar Parvat. There are separate temples of Sri Neminath, Devi Ambika, Sri Gorakhnath and Lord Dattatreya along the path of the Girnar trek. The spiritual environment of Girnar is profound and one needs to experience it oneself. The Girnar trek if done on foot is quite difficult requiring one to ascend around 10000 steps and it can be a lifetime experience. Before starting the Girnar trek, pilgrims usually visit the Bhavnath Shiva temple and Damodar Kund in the foothills, both of which are important temples of Girnar.

• Sacred Geography:

☗ Girnar Parvat (Mount Girnar) (Ancient Raivataka Parvat)

Girnar Trek:
1. Damodar Kund (foothills)
2. Bhavnath Temple (foothills)
3. Neminath Temple (around 4000 steps)
4. Ambika Devi Temple (around 5000 steps)
5. Gorakhnath Temple (around 6000 steps)
6. Dattatreya Temple (around 10000 steps)

• Puranic Events:

1. Presence of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Devi in Girnar (Vastrapatha Kshetra):
• The puranic name of Girnar Kshetra is Vastrapatha Kshetra. It has the Ujiyanta Parvata and Raivataka Parvata.

- Origin: Lord Shiva left his vastra (garment) here and abided in invisible form. Later Devi Parvati, Lord Vishnu and other gods abided in this kshetra. (Girnar Kshetra)
- Damodara: Sage Bhadra told king Gaja about the greatness of Damodara in this kshetra. (Damodar Kund)
- Bhava Lord Shiva told Devi Parvati about the greatness of Bhava in this kshetra. (Bhavanath Temple)
- Different Teerthas: Sage Bhadra told king Gaja about the different Teerthas in this kshetra.

2. Presence of Teerthankara Neminath in Girnar:
• Jain Teerthankara Neminath attained enlightenment in Girnar. (Neminath Hill Temple)

3. Presence of Yogi Gorakhnath in Girnar:
• Yogi Gorakhnath performed sadhana in Girnar.

4. Presence of Lord Dattatreya in Girnar:
• Lord Dattatreya (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) performed sadhana in Girnar for many years.

• Temples (Summary):

• Vishnu:
- Damodar Kund (foothills)

• Shiva:
- Bhavnath Temple (foothills)

• Neminath:
- Neminath Hill Temple (around 4000 steps)

• Devi:
- Bagheswari Devi Temple (foothills)
- Amba Devi Hill Temple (around 5000 steps)

• Gorakhnath:
- Gorakhnath Ashram (foothills)
- Gorakhnath Hill Temple (around 6000 steps)

• Dattatreya:
- Dattatreya Hill Temple (around 10000 steps)

• Places to See (Puranic Places mapping):

Presence of Lord Vishnu in Girnar:
• Sage Bhadra told king Gaja about the greatness of Damodara in this kshetra. (Girnar Mahatmya)
► Girnar - Damodar Kund (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Damodar Kund is located at the foothills of Girnar. Pilgrims generally visit this temple before starting the Girnar trek.

Presence of Lord Shiva in Girnar:
• Lord Shiva left his vastra (garment) here and abided in invisible form. Later Devi Parvati, Lord Vishnu and other gods abided in this kshetra. • Lord Shiva told Devi Parvati about the greatness of Bhava in this kshetra. (Girnar Mahatmya)
► Girnar - Bhavnath Temple (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Bhavnath Temple is located at the foothills of Girnar. Pilgrims generally visit this temple before starting the Girnar trek.

Presence of Sri Neminath in Girnar:
► Girnar - Neminath Temple (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Jain Teerthankara Neminath attained enlightenment in Girnar. Neminath Temple is located on the path of the Girnar Trek after ascending around 4000 steps. There are many other Jain temples in this region including the Vastupal temple.

Presence of Devi in Girnar:
• Lord Shiva left his vastra (garment) here and abided in invisible form. Later Devi Parvati abided here on the Ujiyanta mountain. (Girnar Mahatmya)
► Girnar - Devi Amba Temple (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Devi Amba Temple is located on the path of the Girnar Trek after ascending around 5000 steps.

Presence of Yogi Gorakhnath in Girnar:
► Girnar - Gorakhnath Temple (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Yogi Gorakhnath performed sadhana in Girnar. Gorakhnath Temple is located on the path of the Girnar Trek after ascending around 6000 steps. There is also a Gorakhnath ashrama on the foothills of Girnar.

Presence of Lord Dattatreya in Girnar:
► Girnar - Dattatreya Temple (Junagadh district, Gujarat) Lord Dattatreya (an incarnation of the Trinity) performed sadhana in Girnar. Dattatreya Temple is located on the path of the Girnar Trek after ascending around 10000 steps. This is the peak of the Dattatreya Hill and culmination of the Girnar Trek.

• Puranic References:

• Girnar Mahatmya (About Vastrapatha Kshetra)
• Mahabharata (About Sri Krishna and Arjuna visiting Raivataka Parvata)

• Location:

• Girnar Kshetra is located in the Junagadh district of Gujarat.

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