On the road from Junagadh to Mount Girnar stands a large granite boulder covered in inscriptions from three different periods of Indian history. The oldest are the Fourteen Rock Edicts of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, carved around 250 BC in the Brahmi script, recording Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism and his moral injunctions regarding non-violence, religious tolerance, and care for animals and humans. They are among the oldest surviving texts in India.
The same rock later received additional inscriptions in Sanskrit from the western Satrap ruler Rudradaman (150 AD) and from the Gupta emperor Skandagupta (455 AD). A small covered shelter protects the boulder, and the inscriptions are readable with patience — the Archaeological Survey of India has provided transliterations and translations nearby. The site is often overlooked by visitors rushing to Girnar or the fort, but for anyone interested in early Indian history, it is as remarkable as either.