Junagadh Girnar Pilgrimage and Sacred Ecology Gujarat

Girnar mountain in Junagadh, Gujarat is a sacred Jain and Hindu pilgrimage site with 10,000 steps leading to temples at the summit. The forested slopes of Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary protect leopard, sloth bear, and the endangered Asiatic lion's northern population. Annual festivals like Lili Parikrama draw 50,000 pilgrims who circumambulate the mountain barefoot through forest and tribal villages. Local communities earn from pilgrimage-related services and sustainable forest produce.