Gorakhpur- District in Uttar Pradesh

 Gorakhpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Rapti river in the Purvanchal region. It is situated 270 kilometres east of the state capital Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur district, North Eastern Railway Zone and Gorakhpur division. 

Area : 3483.8 Sq. Km.

Population : 44,40,895

Male : 22,77,777

Female : 21,63,118

Village : 3448

language : Hindi, Bhojpuri

History and culture-

Gorakhpur has its own cultural and historical importance. It is the birth place of Firaq Gorakhpuri, workplace of writer Sh. Munshi Premchand and mystic poet Kabirdas.  Associated with Gautam Buddha and Lord Mahavir, Martyr Pt. Ram Prasad Bismil, Bandhu Singh and many more.History of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India reads like a fascinating tale. Gorakhpur was a division of the celebrated kingdom of Koshal, one of the sixteen mahajanpadas of the 6th Century B.C. The first known monarch who ruled over this area was Iksvaku who founded Kshatriya, the solar dynasty. Iksvaku's capital was at Ayodhya. It produced several famous kings till the accession of Ram, considered the greatest ruler of the solar dynasty. Since then, this place remained an important part of the former empires of Maurya, Kushana, Shunga, Harsha and Gupta dynasties. Modern era was marked by the transfer of this land by the Nawab of Avadh in 1801. The East India Company gained the ruling power with this transfer. With this change of hands, Gorakhpur got its status of a District. Basti, a new district was carved out from the regions of Gorakhpur in 1865. Gorakhpur was further split up to form yet another new district of Deoria in 1946. The third splitting up of Gorakhpur held in 1989 brought the district of Mahrajganj into existence.

Festivals-

The Gorakhpur Mahotsav, is an annual cultural festival, held in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is held every year in January. Since 2018, Mahotsav is organized in collaboration with the Department of Tourism (UP), Department of Culture (UP) and District Administration of Gorakhpur. Earlier editions were organized by District Administration of Gorakhpur.It includes a Children festival comprising of various academic, sports, and cultural inter school competitions of children.

Famous cuisine to try in Gorakhpur-

When searching for cuisines, the city of Gorakhpur is sure not to disappoint anyone. It has to offer delicious sweet dishes and mouth watering kebabs that are great to taste. One can come across old age Indian cuisines still now, something that is not easily found in other cities. This place is indeed a paradise for the food lovers, who can actually relish that historical touch to the dishes that they consume. 

Sweet dishes are simply unique in this region like the shahi tukra, gulab jamun and kaju barfi. Having one in the mouth will clearly explain as to how they are different from those found in other states.

Kebabs in Gorakhpur-

1) Kakori Kebab

2) Galauti Kebab

Sweets to try in Gorakhpur-

1)There is no original sweet dish that Gorakhpur people can claim as their own. But the Rabri and Jalebi they make are as delicious as it is served in other places.

Image credits-google

Gorakhnath Temple

 Gorakhpur city in Uttar Pradesh has been named after the medieval saint Guru Gorakhnath. It forms an important administrative and industrial landmark of Uttar Pradesh that is dominated by locals and visitors alike. Number of shrines including mosques and monasteries have pulled in a major chunk of pilgrim tourists to Gorakpur. 

 The famous Gorakhnath Temple epitomizes the identity of Gorakhpur. This is one of the prominent tourist attractions that enjoys a legendary location in the old part of the city on Gorakhpur Sunauli National Highway. One of the popular legend associated with this temple and Guru Gorakhnath is that devotees chanting Gorakhnath chalisa 12 times are blessed with the divya jyoti or the miraculous flame.

History of Gorakhpur Temple-

The temple was built on the spot where Gorakhnath did meditation in Treta Yug. 

In the records of the temple it is revealed that the Gorakhpur Gorakhnath Temple structure and shape was transformed over the period of time. In fact many attempts were made to destroy this temple during the rule of the Sultanate and Mughal era. First it was the Alaudin Khilji who destroyed the Gorakhnath temple in 14th century and later it was destroyed by yet another devout Islamic ruler of India Aurangzeb in 18th century.

The design of this temple seen today is conceptualized by late Mahant Digvijaynath and the current Mahant Avedyanathji during the 19th century. The large complex of Gorakhnath Temple houses some shrines, temples, cowshed and pond.

Festivals celebrated here include-

The Khichdi Parv is observed every year on Makar Sankranti. Devotees visit the temple on the occasion of Makar Sankranti and offer khichdi to Gorakhnath Baba.Khichdi Parv is celebrated every year with dedication.

The beautiful structure of Gorakhnath temple-

The temple grounds reach across 52 acres of land in the heart of Gorakhpur. Within the temple are various hallways and rooms celebrating a variety of deities. First is Gorakhnath's personal chamber samadhi. The room once housed a statue of him but has since been replaced with footprints.Leading out of the chamber is a gallery of statues including Siva, Ganesh, Kali and Bhairav. Another room contains the nine Naths found in statue form accompanied with other statues.

 When exiting the gallery surrounding Gorakhnath temple, there are other rooms and portraits allocated for other Hindu deities. Not only is the seat of Gorakhnath a defining feature of the temple, the eternal flame (Divya Jyoti) is also held in the temple. The temple maintains a cow shed Goshala on the premises as one of the many references to the life of Gorakhnath and the goals of maintaining the animal life. Away from the main temple, the residential spaces for current practicing ascetics can be found.

Gorakhnath Idol-

Important information-

Timings- 3AM to 10PM

Open- All days of week

After visiting the most prominent Gorakhdham Mandir in Gorakhpur, you can also explore other famous places that fall within the range of 5 kilometres and include Vishu Mandir, Kushmi Forest, Ambedkar Park, Railway Museum, and Nir Nikunj. 

Image credits- google