Gorakhnath Temple

Devi

 

History

The Gorakhnath Math is a temple of the Nath monastic group of the Nath tradition. The name Gorakhnath derives from the medieval saint, Gorakhnath, a yogi who travelled widely across India and authored a number of texts that form a part of the canon of Nath Sampradaya. The Nath tradition was founded by guru Matsyendranath. This math is situated in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh within a large premises. The temple performs various cultural and social activities and serves as the cultural hub of the city.
Gorakhpur takes its name from Gorakhnath, who was a saint of the ‘Nath Sampradaya’. A shrine called Gorakhnath Mandir was built in his honour at the location where he practised his daily rituals.

The Gorakhpur region comprises the districts of Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Basti, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau and parts of Nepal tarai. These areas, which may be called the Gorakhpur janapad, were an important centre is of the Hindu Vedic culture.

Gorakhpur was a part of the kingdom of Kosala, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas in the 6th century BC. The solar dynasty of Kshatriyas, whom are believed to have ruled the area, included the God-King Rama. Gorakhpur remained an integral part of the erstwhile empires of Maurya, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta and Harsha dynasties.

The history of math has also been described in the biography of Yogi Adityanath – The Monk Who Became Chief Minister, written by Shantanu Gupta. The website of gorakhnath mandir describes its history and the attacks which the temple had to bear from time to time.

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