Updated 3 November 2026
- One boulder carries inscriptions from the 3rd century BCE, about 150 CE and about 455 CE
- Fourteen Major Rock Edicts of Ashoka in Brahmi script, in Prakrit
- Rudradaman’s inscription is among the earliest long Sanskrit inscriptions
- On the road between Girnar Taleti and Junagadh, about 3 km from Bhavnath Taleti
On the road to Girnar, a small building shelters a rough granite boulder. Cut into it are three royal records written over roughly 700 years, together telling the story of one lake.
Fourteen edicts of Ashoka
The oldest writing on the rock is a version of the fourteen Major Rock Edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, dated to the 3rd century BCE. They are in the Brahmi script and the Prakrit language. At Girnar they cover the north-east part of the rock in two columns.
The edicts are largely proclamations meant for officials and for Ashoka’s successors, setting out his ideas of ethical government, tolerance and compassion. The first edict forbids animal slaughter for sacrifice. The boulder is roughly 10 metres high and was first reported by James Tod in 1822.
Rudradaman and the lake
Above the Ashoka edict is a twenty-line inscription in Sanskrit, in Brahmi script, issued by the Western Kshatrapa ruler Rudradaman I, shortly after about 150 CE. It records the repair of the embankment of Sudarshana Lake, an important reservoir of the region, after a violent storm and flood had broken it. Scholars regard it as one of the earliest long inscriptions in classical Sanskrit.
Skandagupta’s record
The third inscription belongs to the Gupta emperor Skandagupta and dates from about 455 CE. It records that the lake’s embankment burst again after terrible rains and was repaired under his governor of Saurashtra. Taken together, the three records give a continuous picture of how rulers of different dynasties looked after the same irrigation works.
Why it matters
It is rare to find so many centuries of public writing on one stone. For visitors to Girnar it also means that the road you travel to the pilgrim’s stairway is a very old road, with the mountain, the lake and the rulers’ records bound together in one story.
Visiting
- The rock is housed in a building beside the road between Junagadh and Bhavnath Taleti, roughly 3 km from the Taleti.
- It is a short stop of 20 to 30 minutes; a local guide or a good printed note helps you read what you are seeing.
- Check opening times locally, as they are not always posted.
It combines naturally with Uparkot Fort and Damodar Kund.
A base on the same road
Triloknath Ashram is at Bhavnath Taleti, close to the road to Girnar. See the rooms or call +91 96274 27283.
Frequently asked questions
What is carved on the Junagadh rock?
Ashoka’s fourteen Major Rock Edicts, Rudradaman’s Sanskrit inscription of about 150 CE and a record of Skandagupta from about 455 CE.
What is Sudarshana Lake?
An ancient reservoir whose embankment is recorded as repaired by Rudradaman and again by Skandagupta’s governor.
Where is the rock?
In a small building on the road between Junagadh and Girnar Taleti, about 3 km from Bhavnath Taleti.
More from the notebook
Planning a stay near Girnar?
Ring the office for rooms and dates at Bhavnath Taleti.
+91 96274 27283