Hin: गोरखपुर gorakhpur
‘City of Gorakhnath’ – City/District, Uttar Pradesh.
From Goraknath and Skt: pura, ‘city’, ‘settlement’
Gorakhpur is named after the 9th-century Hindu saint Gorakhnath, a prominent figure in the Nath yogic tradition. His followers, the Gorakhnathi yogis, established the Gorakhnath Math, which remains a major religious and cultural center. The city has long been a hub of Shaivism, Tantrism, and ascetic traditions.
Historically, Gorakhpur was part of the Kosala kingdom, linked to Ayodhya and Lord Rama.
During the Mauryan and Gupta periods, it became a center for Buddhism, with sites like Kushinagar nearby, where Gautama Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana.
The region later came under the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Nawabs of Awadh before the British annexation in 1801.
During the Indian independence movement, Gorakhpur gained prominence due to the Chauri Chaura incident (1922), where a protest turned violent, leading to Gandhi’s suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement.
Today, Gorakhpur is a major commercial, industrial, and educational hub in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is known for:
- The Gorakhnath Temple, a major pilgrimage site.
- The Gita Press, one of the world’s largest publishers of Hindu religious texts.
- Industries in fertilizer production, textiles, and sugar milling.
- Gorakhpur Junction, one of India’s busiest railway stations.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Uttar Pradesh place names.
