page_title: Girnar
section_title: Religious disputes
hierarchical_section_title: Girnar / Religious disputes
caption_attribution_description: English: A representative image depicting Tirthankar Neminath on Girnar Tirth, his nirvan Bhumi.
context_page_description: The group temples of Jainism are situated on the Mount Girnar situated near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. There temples are sacred to the Digambara and the Svetambara branches of Jainism.
  Girnar, also known as Girinagar or Revatak Parvata, is a group of mountains in the Junagadh District of Gujarat, India.
context_section_description: The dispute regarding illegal construction around a shrine on the fifth tonk (peak) of Girnar mountain in Junagadh had landed before the Gujarat high court. A trust of the Digambar Jain sect had alleged illegal construction around the idol and charan (footprint) of Neminatha, in a manner that devotees could not see and worship the idol and footprint at the site.
  A controversy over ownership of a religious site on Girnar in Junagadh town saw a Hindu sadhu allegedly stabbing a Jain monk. Police sources said victim Muni Shree Prabal Sagarji Maharaj of Udaipur in Rajasthan was taken to a private hospital for the treatment as he had received serious injuries on chest and abdomen. Accused Muktanand Giri was arrested by the police after a case was registered against him at Junagadh taluka police station. Giri stabbed Prabal Sagarji with a knife when the latter arrived at Kamalkund. The dispute over the engraved stone idol and footprint on the fifth peak of Girnar goes back several years. “We have raised the issue about construction of concrete platform and grill in such a manner that Jains cannot see and offer prayer to the footprint of Neminath,” said HR Prajapati, counsel for petitioner Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Trith Kshetra Committee. There was a clear high court order in 2005 that prohibited any new construction at the site but it was constructed by overlooking the order,” the counsel said. The archaeological department had concluded that illegal construction had taken place at the site. The matter of illegal construction around the monument had come before the Gujarat high court in 2004. After hearing all parties, the high court in 2005 had directed the Hindu Mahants to not undertake further illegal construction at the site.
  It is claimed by Hindus that many images of Hindu gods and goddesses have been replaced by Jains from the Raa Khengar Mahal, ruins of an ancient palace, with carved images of Jain gods, to give an impression that Girnar is essentially a Jain place of pilgrimage. However, these claims seems to be absurd as the main temple of lord Neminatha is made out of a single rock and the temple and idols both are ancient and have mentions in Shatrunjay Mahatmya and similar ancient texts.
  The matter of illegal construction around the monument had come before the Gujarat high court in 2004. After hearing all parties, the high court in 2005 had directed the Hindu Mahants to not undertake further illegal construction at the site.
caption: Lord Neminath at Mount Girnar
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