Junagadh

Junagadh જૂનાગઢ
Gate of the city of Junagadh
Show map of Gujarat Show map of India Junagadh
Coordinates: 21°31′12″N 70°27′47″E / 21.520°N 70.463°E / 21.520; 70.463Coordinates: 21°31′12″N 70°27′47″E / 21.520°N 70.463°E / 21.520; 70.463
Country	India
State	Gujarat
District	Junagadh
Government
• Body	Junagadh Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Smt. Aadhyashaktiben Apurvabhai Majmudar
• Municipal Commissioner	B. K. Thacker
• Member of Legislative Assembly	Mahendra Mashru
• Member of Parliament	Rajesh Chudasama
Area
• Total	160 km2 (60 sq mi)
Area rank	7th
Elevation	107 m (351 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	5,17,350
• Density	3,200/km2 (8,400/sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	362 00X
Telephone code	0285
Vehicle registration	GJ-11
Language	Gujarati, Hindi, English
Civic agency	Junagadh Municipal Corporation
Website	www.junagadhmunicipal.org

Junagadh  pronunciation  (Gujarati: જુનાગઢ) is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is the 7th largest in Gujarat, located at the foot of the Girnar hills, 355 km south west of state capital Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. Literally translated, Junagadh means "Old Fort". An alternate etymology gives the name as coming from "Yonagadh", literally "City of the Yona (Greeks)," referring to the ancient inhabitants of the city under the Indo-Greek Kingdom. It is also known as "Sorath", the name of the earlier Princely State of Junagadh. After a brief struggle between India and Pakistan, Junagadh joined India on 9 November 1947. It was a part of Saurashtra state and later Bombay state. In 1960, after the Maha Gujarat movement, it became part of newly formed Gujarat state.

An impressive fort, Uparkot, located on a plateau in the middle of town, was originally built during the Mauryan dynasty by Chandragupta in 319 BCE The fort remained in use until the 6th century, when it was abandoned for some 300 years, then rediscovered in 976 CE. The fort was besieged 16 times over an 800-year period. One unsuccessful siege lasted twelve years.

There is an inscription with fourteen Edicts of Ashoka on a large boulder within 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) of Uperkot Fort. The inscriptions carry 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 Kshatrapas dynasty. Another inscription dates from about 450 CE and refers to Skandagupta, the last Gupta emperor. Old rock-cut Buddhist "caves" in this area, dating from well before 500 CE, have stone carvings and floral work. There are also the Khapra Kodia Caves north of the fort, and the Bava Pyara caves south of the fort. Bava Pyara caves contains artworks of both Buddhism and Jainism.