Mount Girnar

Why in news?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Girnar ropeway project in Junagadh.

About Mount Girnar:

• Mount Girnar situated near Junagadh in Junagadh district, Gujarat.
• There are many holy places associated with Jainism in Mount Girnar along with a hindu temple dedicated to lord Dattatreya Temple.
• Among the jain temples the largest one is  Neminath temple dated to around 12^th century  when the area was rule by Chalukya daynasty.

Ashokan Edicts at Girnar:

• Fourteen of Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts, dating to circa 250 BCE, are inscribed on a large boulder at Girnar.
• The inscriptions are etched in Brahmi script in a language similar to Pali and date back to 250 BCE.
• On the same rock there are inscriptions in Sanskrit added around 150 CE by Mahakshatrap Rudradaman I, the Saka (Scythian) ruler of Malwa, a member of the Western Satraps dynasty.
• The edict of Rudradaman I narrates the story of Sudarshan Lake which was built or renovated by Rudradaman I, and the heavy rain and storm due to which it had broken.
• Another inscription dates from about 450 CE and refers to Skandagupta, the last Gupta Empire.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following pairs of holy/historical places and their regions:
1.Girnar : Kathiawar peninsula
2.Khajuraho temples : Bundelkhand Region
3.Amaravati : Rayalaseema region
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
(a)1 and 2 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)1 and 3 only
(d)1,2 and 3

Answer to prelims question