Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, who was born at Kapilvastu in Nepal, renounced his princely clothing at the confluence of the rivers Rapti and Rohini, near Gorakhpur, before setting out on his quest of truth in 600 BCE. Later he died in the courtyard of Mall King Sastipal Mall at his capital Kushinara which is now known as Kushinagar, there is a monument to this effect at Kushinagar even today. The city is also associated with the travels of Lord Buddha’s contemporary Lord Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Lord Mahavira was born at a place not very far from Gorakhpur. Later he took his mahaparinirvan at his maternal uncle’s palace at Pava which is about 15 kilometers from Kushinagar(Pavapuri and Kushinara were the twin capital of Mall dynasty which was part 16 Mahajanpads of ancient India). Malla dynasty was following democratic way of governance from their Santhagara and thus Gorakhpur is also the part of ancient Gana sangha. There is a mention in the epic Mahabharata that Prince Bhim, the younger brother of King Yudhistr had visited Gorakhpur to invite saint Gorakhnath to attend his Rajsuuya Yagna.
One of the main features of Gorakhpur’s culture is a tradition of folk-songs and folk-dances. Folk-songs are also performed at various festivals during the year. The kaharwa is sung at Deepawali, the Alha and the kajari during the rainy and winter nights, and the Phaag during Holi.One of the biggest part of Gorakhpur’s culture is the tradition of folk-songs and folk-dances. This is a very artistic vivid part of Gorakhpur’s culture. After a long day of work they unwind with singing and dancing. They have different dances and songs for special occasions also. Folk-songs are performed at different festivals and seasons during the year. They sing the kaharwa at Deepawali, the Alha, Kajri,k Barahmasi during the rainy and winter nights, and the Phaag during Holi. The people of Gorakhpur use the harmonium, dholak, manjira, mridung, nagara, thali, and nagara as musical instruments when they perform. Some of the most popular folk-dances is saved for the special occasion of festivals, fairs, and marriages to celebrate. Gorakhpur’s heritage of songs and dances is an important part of their culture.
It is located on the bank of river Rapti and Rohani, a Ganges tributary originating in Nepal that sometimes causes severe floods. The Rapti is interconnected through many other small rivers following meandering courses across the Gangetic Plain. Situated on the basin of rivers Rapti and Rohini the geographical shape of the Gorakhpur City is of bowl. The west of the city is guarded by cool Rapti River while the east is associated with Sal Forest, giving the divine sense of peace with cool breezes. The south is showered with the power of excellence, in shape of greenish Ramgarh Tal and north is the plinth of city’s advancement. The district presents characteristics distinct from natural features of the western districts of Uttar Pradesh. This difference is due primarily to the relative proximity of the Himalayas, the outermost foothills of which are only a few kilometres from the northern borders. The peak of Dhaulagiri, some 8,230 meters above sea-level, is visible under favourable climatic conditions as far south as Gorakhpur itself.
Gorakhpur railway station is the headquarters of India’s North Eastern Railway. It connects to almost every major city in India. Direct trains connect to Hyderabad, Chennai, Agra, Bhopal, Jhansi, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Pune,Siwan and other distant parts of the nation. The station offers Class A railway station facilities. There are plans to make world’s Longest Railway Platform at Gorakhpur with a stretch of around 1.35 kilometres (0.84 mi). Formed on 14 April 1952 by combining two Railway systems and bifurcated into two Railway Zones on 15th Jan. 1958, the present N. E. Railway (NER), after re-organisation of Railway Zones in 2002, comprises of three Divisions – Varanasi, Lucknow & Izatnagar. NER has 3402.46 route km with 486 stations. NER primarily serves the areas of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand & western districts of Bihar.
The most significant event in the medieval period was the coming of mystic poet and famous saint Kabir. Born in Varanasi, his workplace was Maghar where most of his beautiful poems were composed. It was here that he gave the message to his countrymen to live in peace and religious harmony. The co-existence of ‘Samadhi’ and ‘Makbara’ at his burial place in Maghar attracts a large number of followers.Gorakhpur is also identified with the Gita Press. Gorakhpur rose to great eminence due to the historic ‘CHAURI CHAURA’ incident of 4th Feb., 1922, which was a turning-point in the history of India’s freedom struggle. Enraged at the inhuman barbaric atrocities of the police, the volunteers burnt down the Chauri-Chaura Police Station, killing nineteen policemen at the premises. With this violence, Mahatma Gandhi withdrew the Non-Cooperation Movement launched in 1920.
The district geology is primarily river born alluvium. Few mineral products are mined in Gorakhpur, with the most common being a nodular limestone conglomerate known as kankar, brick, and saltpetre. The last occurs principally in the south and south-east and is manufactured in a crude state in considerable quantities most of it being exported to markets of Bihar. In the Bansgaon tahsil kankar is most abundant and quarries are seen at many places. It is also extracted from some places in Mahrajganj tahsil. Lime is obtained by burning kankar. Brick clay is abundant everywhere and bricks are made all over the district. The soil in the district is light sandy or dense clay of yellowish brown colour. The sand found in the rivers is medium to coarse grained, greyish white to brownish in colour and is suitable for construction
The district of Gorakhpur lies between Lat. 26°13’N and 27°29’N and Long. 83°05’E and 83°56’E. The district occupies the north-eastern corner of the state along with the district of Deoria, and comprises a large stretch of country lying to the north of the river Rapti, the deep stream of which forms its southern boundary with the Azamgarh district. On the west, the boundary marches along Basti and on the east adjoins Deoria and the Chhoti Gandak Nadi and further south the Jharna Nala forms the dividing line. To the north lies Nepal.Gorakhpur has also a lake Ramgartal Lake, which is 18 km bigger. It is bigger than Dal Lake of Kashmir which is of 15.5 km Ramgarh Taal. It is vast and provides home to various types of fishes.
Gorakhpur is a city in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, near the border with Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur District and Gorakhpur Division. The city is also home to many historic Buddhist sites, Imambara, an 18th century dargah, and the Gita Press, a publisher of Hindu religious texts. It is also the headquarter of North Eastern Railways. Gorakhnath Temple here has been a major site of attraction for the pilgrims. The famous Gita Press which publishes Hindu religious texts is located in the city of Gorakhpur. Sharing a border with the prominent region of Nepal and holding the headquarters of the busy North Eastern Railways makes Gorakhpur a very active city.
Major national highways intersect at Gorakhpur, including NH 28 and 29. Some important distances are: Siwan 120 Km, Kushinagar 50 km, Kanpur 359 km,Lucknow 276 km, Varanasi 231 km, Allahabad 339 km, Agra 624 km, Delhi 783 km, Kolkata 770 km, Gwalior 730 km, Bhopal 922 km and Mumbai 1690 km. Frequent bus services are available for most of these cities.Considerable improvement in this aspect is expected after the completion of the east-west corridor road project that enhances Gorakhpur’s road connectivity. There are two bus station in gorakhpur One named railway bus stand which is nearest to railway station, and the other one is at Civil lines.Gorakhpur has buses to sonauli and kathmandu.
Gorakhpur district was the scene of the Chauri Chaura incident of February 4, 1922, which was a turning point in the history of India’s freedom struggle. Enraged by police atrocities, a crowd of 2,000 people burnt down the Chauri-Chaura Police Station, killing nineteen policemen. In response to this violence, Mahatma Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement that he had launched in 1920 and fasted for 21 days, until he was satisfied that all Non-Cooperation Movement activities had ceased. Amar Shahid Bandhu Singh Smarak. is located in Pipraich, Amar Shahid Bandhu Singh was a freedom Fighter. He used to fight British with Gurilla war technique in 1857 uprising
.Another important event took place at Doharia (In Sahjanwa Tehsil ) on 23 August 1942. In response to the famous Quit India Movement of 1942, a meeting was held to register its protest against the British Government at Doharia but the latter responded with unprovoked firing, killing nine and injuring hundreds. A Shaheed Smarak, in their memory, stands there which still today keeps their memory alive.The trial of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru took place in this district in 1940. Here he was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 4 years. Gorakhpur is also the Head Quarter of Air Force and known for Squadrons of Jaguar jet fighters.
Gorakhpur is the headquarter of Gorakhpur Division and District. Gorakhpur division comprises four districts, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Mahrajganj and Kushinagar.As a basic administration unit the district, has assumed a greater development and regulatory role consequent to emphasis on decentralised planning. It is divided into seven Tehsils ( Revenue Sub- Divisions) presided over by a Sub Divisional Magistrate. Tehsils are further subdivided into nineteen Development Blocks, Blocks into 191 Nyay Panchayat and these Nyay Panchayats into 1233 Gram Sabhas which consists of 3319 Revenue villages. The District Administrative unit is shown as:
In ancient times the geographical area of Gorakhpur included the modern districts of Basti, Deoria, Kushinagar, Azamgarh. According to Vedic writings, the earliest known monarch ruling over this region with his capital at Ayodhya was Iksvaku, founder of the Solar dynasty. The solar dynasty produced a number of kings; Rama of the Ramayana is most well-known. The entire region was an important centre of Aryan culture and civilization, a part of the famous kingdoms of Koshala and Malla, two of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (states) in 6th century BCE India. The region also formed part of Aryavart and Madhyadesh
Gorakhpur has its own cultural and historical importance. It belongs to the Great Lord Buddha, founderof Buddhism, who renounced his princely costumes at the confluence of rivers Rapti & Rohini and proceeded further in the quest of truth in 600 BC.It is also associated with Lord Mahavir, 24th tirthankar, founder of Jainism.The next event of importance was the association of Gorakhpur with Gorakhnath. The date and place of his birth have not yet been finally settled, but it was probably in the twelfth century that he flourished. His samadhi at Gorakhpur attracts a large number of pilgrims every year.
Gorakhpur is served by an airport located 6 km east from the city centre. It caters primarily to Indian Air Force traffic. A small number of domestic airlines operate civil aviation services to Delhi, Mumbai and elsewhere. Gorakhpur is also host to many tourists who use it as a hub to travel to Lord Buddha’s pilgrimage sites. Actually gorakhpur airport is INDIAN AIR FORCE base. Its main constituents are two squadrons of SPECAT Jaguar fighter planes. Gorakhpur airport is also known as kasiya airport. It mainly serves for IAF planes and some private planes to some extent.
As elsewhere in India, cinema is most popular means of entertainment in Gorakhphur. There are ten cinemas in the district with a combined capacity of six thousand seats. Documentaries and mobile cinema cater for the rural areas of the district. Dramatic societies and circuses also visit the district. Dangal (wrestling matches), nautanki (indigenous open-air dramatic performances), bhajan and qawwali programmes, and mushaira are also arranged at different places from time to time. Ramlila and Krishnalila provide alternative entertainment.
Gorakhpur is considered a religious center containing many historic temples and sites. The city is rich in history of the two major religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. It is named after the ascetic Guru Gorakshnath a saint that popularized “Hath Yoga” a form of yoga which concentrates on mastering natural power. The Gorakhnath Temple where he perfected his art is a major tourist attraction in the city of Gorakhpur. The city of Gorakhpur is the birthplace of King Vikas Sankrityayan Ji along with many other great historical people.
Below the outer hills is a dry boulder-strewn tract, corresponding to the Bhabar of Kumaun and Garhwal and here the bulk of the moisture contributed by the rainfall and the small streams is absorbed by the soil, to reappear through seepage in the damp and unhealthy tract, known as the terai. The latter comprises a belt some 16 km. in width, running along the northern borders of Maharajganj tahsil. It is extensively cultivated.
In the 12th century, the Gorakhpur region, as much of northern India, was conquered by the Muslim ruler Muhammad Ghori. The region remained under the influence of Muslim rulers, such as Qutb-ud-din Aybak and Bahadur Shah, for some centuries. In the early 16th century, the mystic poet and famous saint Kabir lived and worked in Maghar, a village 20 km from Gorakhpur, where his burial place still attracts many pilgrims.
Imambara, an 18th century dargah, is located about 2 km from the railway station in Gorakhpur. Imambara is the dargah of Roshan Ali Shah, a Sufi saint. It preserves a dhuni (smoke fire), and is famous for its gold and silver Tazia. and today this seat of sufi is continue from 300 year ago. today janab anan farooq ali shah (miyan sahab) is the gadinashin of imambara.