How Much Did Girnar Ropeway Cost? (Udan Khatola)

Girnar ropeway is Asia’s second longest ropeway and a beautiful one. It is a ropeway on Mount Girnar in Junagadh district, Gujarat, India. Mount Girnar is a major pilgrim site because of the presence of the Amba temple, the Dattatreya shrine, and many Hindu temples as well as several Jain temples.

The project was first proposed by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL) in 1983 which suggested the diversion of about 9.1 hectares (22 acres) of forest land. The Government of Gujarat finalized diversion of 7.29 hectares (18.0 acres) of forest land in 1994 and the compensatory forest land was granted near Toraniya village. The Government of India also permitted it in 1995.

At first, there were several pilgrims who opposed and protested against the project because it seemed to hurt their livelihood. After many hurdles, the construction restarted in September 2018.  The project was to open in May 2020 but was further delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Trial runs were carried out in September 2020 and the construction was completed on 17 October 2020. Then the project was inaugurated on 24 October 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

After all these delays, it was finally open to the public. 

Let’s Find Out A Little Bit About The Girnar Ropeway:

The ropeway is 2,320 meters (7,600 ft.) long, which is Asia’s longest. It was constructed at the cost of ₹130 crore. It takes passengers 850 meters (2,800 ft.) above the hill to the Amba temple. The view from up there is just mesmerizing. The cable car has 25 cables with a capacity of eight passengers each. It can carry 1000 passengers per hour but operates at a capacity of 800 passengers per hour, 8000 per day. The trip takes about 7.43 minutes. 

So next time you go to Junagadh, definitely try the cable to see the beauty of Mount Girnar and visit the Ambaji temple without having to climb up all those stairs.

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