Junagadh sits at the foot of Mount Girnar, a sacred hill topped with Jain and Hindu temples that you reach by climbing over 10,000 stone steps. The climb is demanding but rewarding — start before dawn and you will share the trail with pilgrims and the occasional langur monkey, reaching the top as the sun rises over the Saurashtra plain.
The city itself has the impressive Uparkot Fort, a Buddhist-era citadel with ancient rock-cut caves, step wells, and cannons. The Mahabat Maqbara, a mausoleum from the 1890s, is an eccentric fusion of Gothic, Islamic, and Indian architecture with elaborate spiral staircases. On the road to Girnar, the Ashoka Rock Edicts — inscriptions from three different rulers spanning seven centuries — are one of India's most remarkable open-air historical monuments. Junagadh is also the gateway to Gir Forest National Park, the last refuge of the Asiatic lion, about 60 km to the south.