Girnar ascending run eyes Guinness tag
More than 2,700 people had registered for the attempt to set new world record.
3 min read
As many as 2,122 people crossed the finish line. (Express photo)
THE annual Mount Girnar ascending and descending competition which happened on Sunday is likely to enter Guinness Book of World Records as 2,122 people completed ascent of the mountain up to 921 metres and thereby bettered the record set by Norway in 2011.
More than 2,700 people had registered for the attempt to set new world record for the most number of people in a single mountain ascent by ascending Mountain Girnar till Ambaji temple. The temple is located at a height of 1,020 metres from the sea level and 920.57 metres from the foothill of the mountain.
“In all, 2,324 people, out of the more than 2,700 who had got themselves registered, participated in the world record bid. Out of the 2,324 people, 2,122 crossed the finish line at Ambaji within the mandated time limit of three hours,” district collector of Junagadh Alok Kumar Pandey said.
The ascent of Mount Girnar, which is the highest peak in Gujarat, started at around 7.30 am and finished at 10.30 am. State Agriculture Minister Babu Bokhiria flagged off batches of participants from the starting line near Mangalnathji Ashram in Bhavnath Taleti, the foothill of Mount Girnar. The mountain is located near Junagadh city in Saurashtra region.
The event was videographed by 16 video cameras and CCTV cameras. World Amazing Records, an Ahmedabad-based agency which helps organise and document such events, was also roped in. The event was jointly organised by district administration of Junagadh and Department of Youth and Cultural Affairs of state government.
The Junagadh district administration and Department of Youth and Cultural Affairs used to organise Open Gujarat Mount Girnar Ascending and Descending Competition for youths of Gujarat. Later it was open for the entire country. However, the organisers trimmed the Open Gujarat event for the year 2015 to only ascent of the mountain to meet the criteria laid down by Guinness World Record authority.
“The Himalaya holds the record to be the tallest peaks in India and is in record books. Similarly, Mount Girnar is the tallest mountain in Gujarat. It is also a religious place and part of a wildlife sanctuary. To make this mountain more visible in the world, we have sought to enter the Guinness Book of World Records through this effort,” Pandey further said.
You May Like
Photos
