Raivataka mountain was a mountain mentioned in the epic
Mahābhārata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succe ...
and in the
Harivaṃśa-purāṇa 2.55.111. In the Mahabharata it was mentioned as situated in the
Anarta Kingdom. In the Harivaṃśa-purāṇa it is "close to the sporting ground of the King Raivataka" (2.56.29) and called "the living place for the gods" (2.55.111). People from
Dvārakā
Dvārakā, also known as Dvāravatī (Sanskrit द्वारका "the gated ity
The pyramid of Ity was probably the tomb of Pharaoh who reigned during the 8th dynasty. It has never been discovered and is known only from a cliff-face inscription at Wadi Hammamat in the Eastern Desert, where there were several quarries in P ...
, possibly meaning having many gates, or alternatively having one or several very grand gates), is a sacred historic city in the sacred literature of Hi ...
visited this mountain and celebrated its worshipping as a grand festival. The same mountain also features prominently in Māgha's
Śiśupāla-vadha
The Shishupala Vadha (, IAST: ''Śiśupāla-vadha'', ''lit.'' "the slaying of Shishupala") is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry (''kāvya'') composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is an epic poem in 20 ''sarga''s (cantos) of about 180 ...
. This mountain is identified to be the
Girnar
Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh, Gujarat, India. It is one of the holiest pilgrimages of Jains, where the 22nd Tirthankara, Tirthaṅkar, Lord Neminath attained omniscience, and later nirvana at its highest peak (''Neminath Shikhar''), ...
mountains in
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
.
[Vittam Mani Puranic Encyclopaedia, p.626]
References
Ancient Indian mountains
{{Junagadh-geo-stub