The Ashoka Rock Edict under the Foothills of Girnar

Ashoka Maurya also is known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent from 269 B.C. to 232 B.C. After witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he had waged out of a desire for conquest he embraced Buddhism. He was later dedicated to the propagation of Buddhism across Asia, and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha. Ashoka’s Rock Edicts belong to 250 BC where around 14 edicts of Ashoka are located on the route to the Mount Girnar Hills. This rock edict is a huge stone and the carving in Brahmi script in Pali language mentions the resistance to greed and animal sacrifice and also moralize the principles of purity of thought, secularism in thinking, kindness, and gratitude.

The steps begin at Domdar Kund, near the Damodar and Baldvji temples. The 15th-century poet Narsinh Mehta used to bathe here, and supposedly composed most of his morning hymns, the prabhatiya, here. As you ascend the stone path that connects the temples along the 5 summits, you will pass temples of many different sects of Hinduism. The Bhavnath temple, early on, is dedicated to Shiva, where the "naga sadhus" come to celebrate Shivaratri. After 4000 steps up, 800 steps before the first summit, you reach a plateau with a Jain temple complex. Among these temples, which date from the 12th to 16th centuries, is the site where Neminath, the 22nd tirthankar of Jainism, died after 700 years of ascetic meditation. 2000 steps further on, the temple of Amba Mata (the Mother Goddess) is visited by Hindus, Jains, and newlyweds seeking blessings for a happy marriage. These last 2000 steps are intimidating but well worth the trip for the spectacular panoramic views from the summit. Then the stone trail continues, 1000 steps down and 1000 steps back up, to reach the other summits. The last of which houses a temple to Kalika, where the Aghora ascetics smear themselves with funeral ashes.

On the way to Girnar Hill, one can see the fourteen rock edicts of the Great Indian Emperor Ashoka. The edicts are dating back to 250 BC. These were rediscovered by James Todd. Edicts exhibited in the building are carved out of large granite stones with inscriptions written. Inscriptions on the stones tell about the philosophy of Ashoka’s respect for all religions, developing a positive attitude, kindness to everyone, and resistance to greed and animal sacrifice. On the top of Girnar hill, one can notice a large black coloured granite slab that has major rock edicts written by Ashok. Edicts also show the life history of King Ashok, how he gave up war and violence and became a firm follower of Buddhism. All the edicts have a strong historical connection and they all impart the message of peace, tolerance and communal harmony. Edicts are proof that the people of the area were once under the influence of Buddhism. If you are planning to visit Girnar, the Ashoka Edicts are a good pit stop to have and learned about the glorious past of India.

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