• 1,082 /km2 (2,802 /sq mi)
|Sex ratio||1000/959 ♂/♀|
|Time zone||IST (UTC+05:30)|
|Area||3,483.8 km2 (1,345 sq mi)|
• 26 °C (79 °F)
• 40 °C (104 °F)
• 18 °C (64 °F)
Gorakhpur (Hindi: गोरखपुर, Urdu: گورکھپور) 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. Hindi, Urdu and Bhojpuri are the main languages.
Gorakhpur is famous as a religious centre: the city was home to Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh saints and is named after the medieval saint Gorakshanath. Gorakhnath Temple is still the seat of the Nath sect. It is also the Birth place of the great saint Paramhansa Yogananda. The city is also home to many historic Buddhist sites and the Gita Press, a publisher of Hindu religious texts.
In the 20th century, Gorakhpur was a focal point in the Indian independence movement. Today, the city is also a business centre, hosting the headquarters of the North Eastern Railways, previously known as Bengal Nagpur Railways, and an industrial area, GIDA (Gorakhpur Development Authority) 15 km from the old town.
The city and district of Gorakhpur are named after a renowned ascetic saint, Gorakshanath, the chief disciple of the yogi Matsyendranath. Together, Matsyendranath and Gorakshanath founded the Nath Sampradaya line of saints. Gorakhnath Temple is said to stand on the spot where Gorakshanath practiced Hatha Yoga to develop self-control.
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 Mall, two of the sixteen Mahajanapadas (states) in 6th century BCE India.
Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, who was born at Kapilvastu near Gorakhpur, 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 Kusinara 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 kilometer from Kushinagar(Pavapuri and Kushinar were the twin capital of Mall dynasty which was part 16 Mahajanpads of ancient India).The Malls were a powerful clan of eastern India at the time of Gautama Buddha and they are frequently mentioned in Buddhist and Jaina works. The Mall kshatriyas were republican people with their dominion consisting of nine territories (Kalpa Sutra; Nirayavali Sutra), one of each of the nine confederated clans. The republican states Kusinara and Pava were known as Gana and the Malla kshatriya used to rule from their Santhagara, the assembly hall of a particular kshatriya clan. The main religion of Mall rulers was Buddhism. During Buddhist period, the location around Gorakhpur was ruled by Gana_sangh_kshatriya like Malla, Shakya and Koliya clan.
In the 10th century, the Tharu king Mausen of Madan Singh ruled over Gorakhpur city and the adjoining area. Gorakhpur was also birth place of King Vikas Sankrityayan .
In medieval times, the city was home to the medieval Hindu saint Gorakshanath, who gave the city its name. The date of Gorakshanath's birth has not yet been settled, but he probably lived in the twelfth century. The site of his samādhi (ecstasy) at Gorakhpur attracts a large number of pilgrims every year.
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.
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. It was in Gorakhpur Jail that Ram Prasad Bismil was hanged for taking active part in the fight against the British rule.
In 1934, an earthquake (8.1 on the Richter scale) caused much damage in the city.
Two other important events in the district took place in 1942, shortly after the famous Quit India Resolution was proclaimed on August 8. On August 9, Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested and tried in this district; he spent the next three years in prison. At Doharia kala (in Sahjanwa Tehsil) on August 23, a protest meeting was held against the British Government. Government forces opened fire unprovoked, killing nine and injuring hundreds. A Shaheed Smarak memorial stands on the spot today.
It is also the birth place of Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan. It is also known for being the head of north eastern railways(NER). Late Sachindra Nath Sanyal (Very few people to have undertaken Transportation for Life twice), who was the founder of Hindusthan Republican Army, which later on transformed into INA (Azad Hind Fauz) was founded by him. He spent his last life as a destitute, neglected by all, in a place in the city, when he was stricken by TB. The place today is known as Betiahata. A large Multistory residential building stands today on the spot, owned by Sahara. Also Karma Bhumi of Late Jitendra Nath Sanyal, the Revolutionarist, who spent seven years in jail, against the British, was associated in Lahore Conspiracy case, written a book on Sardar Bhagat Singh was imprisoned by the British. The most interesting chapter is Indian air base which is destroyed by a Pakistani spy with his six followers in 1974, that spy known as Abu Shuja Abu Waqar (real name: Saleem) after returned back from India, later wrote a book named "Ghazi" in which he claimed that more than 200 IAF personnal were killed. Fraque Gorakhpuri,hocky player Prem Maya and R P Singh,famours wrestler Ramasrya Pahelwan and comedian Asit Sen are some of the eminent personalities associated with Gorakhpur. In fact Premchand, the famous hindi writer composed some of his major works here.
It is located on the bank of river Rapti, 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. There is also a big lake called "Ramgarh Tal", which has its own story of formation. It has many other small villages located around the city. In the outer skirts of the city farming is very much prevalent. It has a good rainfall every year. It is also the way to the famous tourist spot and pilgrimage site Kushinagar, where the Buddha nirvana took place. Many tourists come here to visit this place.
The economy of Gorakhpur is based on the service-industry. There is no production industry. People from all over Purvanchal (Eastern U.P) migrate to the city for better education, medical and other facilities which are better compared to villages.
With a good geographical location and sub-urban to urban background, the city's economy is definitely on a rise but only in service - sector. The city is famous for handwoven fabric made on a Hathkargha, a hand-operated loom, and Terracota products but there is on care-taker of that for greater commercial perspective. There are branches of all nationalized banks as well as of private banks like ICICI, HDFC, AXIS and IDBI Bank in the city.
High water mark of the city, "Golghar", in almost the geographical center of the city includes several major shops, hotels, banks, and restaurants, as well as the Baldev Plaza and City shopping malls. Baldev Plaza is the oldest and largest shopping mall in the region. Other Malls, such as Crossroads mall, can also be found in adjoining Baxipur area. City Mall holds a 3 screen SRS Multiplex which is an attraction for movie lovers. Buxipur area accounts for one of the biggest book markets of North Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The original inhabitants of Gorakhpur are known for their amicable behaviour and civility. The major class composition is Kayasth,Brahmins,Yadav and Rajputs. There are multicultured family like Cyrill's who own & operate multiple catholic schools & Don Rakesh Pahelvan.It has a huge army Junction at the nort of the city managing Gorkha's from Nepal & fellow neighbours. Gorakhpur has a big lake known as 'Ramgarh Lake' which is partly owned by "Mallahs" Local people & few family's living at the bank of the lake.
The mystic poet and famous saint Kabir (1440–1518) lived and worked in Maghar, a village 20 km from Gorakhpur. Here, most of his poems urging his countrymen to live in peace and religious harmony, were composed. Kabir's burial place in Maghar attracts a large number of pilgrims.
Munshi Premchand (1880–1936), one of India's great Hindi novelists, lived in Gorakhpur. The house where he lived and wrote still stands in a park named Munshi Premchand Park.
Firaq Gorakhpuri (1896–1982) (Raghupati Sahay), the famous Urdu poet, grew up in Gorakhpur, where his childhood home still stands. He later moved to Allahabad where he was a professor of English at Allahabad University.
Famous Poet and critic, Majnoon Gorakhpuri, is also from Gorakhpur
Renowned Urdu poet Mohammad Umar Khan 'Umar' aka Umar Gorakhpuri, a disciple of legendary poet Dagh Dehelvi, also belonged to Gorakhpur. A collection of his selected poetry entitled "Bada-i-Kuhna" (The Old Wine) has recently been published.
Gorakhpur is also the home to the Gita Press, publishers of many Hindu holy texts, including the Bhagavad Gita. The Press was the first to publish the text as a book; prior to this the Gita existed solely in the oral tradition of the Brahmin.Gita press holds a place in the guiness book of world reecords as the largest publisher of religious books in the world in terms of volume. The publishing company is located in a building with marble walls inscribed with the 18 chapters of the Gita, and hung with paintings depicting the lives of Rama and Krishna.
Soil is very fertile in this part of country so it is impossible to get big part of land for industry which suits agriculture most. Government has taken over land from farmers to build GIDA as industrial area which still have some dispute.
Due to corruption, less and erratic electric supply industrial growth is in state of negligence. All the industrialist from Gorakhpur have shifted their base to western U.P. and invested in other part of country. If a person wants to open a industrial firm it will take at least 2-3 Years to complete all the government formalities.Government should take measures to revive and promote the shutdowned industries like fertilizer plant at rajendra nagar.Else make eastern uttar pradesh a separate state with capital as Gorakhpur.
There are few industries in gida namely:
The three-wheeled, pedal powered cycle rickshaw is the most common mode of transportation in the city. Bus services are provided by the Gorakhpur Mahanagar Bus Seva. In addition thereare auto rickshaws.
City has a sometimes extreme weather conditions usually in rains but usually its good.
International tourists who are on the Buddhist Pilgrimage Circuit visit Gorakhpur on their way to Kushinagar where Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana (final death). It is located 52 km from Gorakhpur on National Highway 28.
Gorakhpur railway station is the headquarters of India's North East Railway. It connects to almost every major city in India. Direct trains connect to Pune, Chennai, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Amritsar, Jammu, Guwahati and other distant parts of the nation. All major cities of India are directly connected by trains through Gorakhpur. The station offers Class A railway station facilities.
Major national highways intersect at Gorakhpur, including NH 28 and 29. Some important distances are: Kushinagar 50km, Lucknow 276 km, Varanasi 231 km, Allahabad 339 km, Agra 624km, Delhi 783 km, Gwalior 730km, 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 Golden Quadrilateral road project that enhances Gorakhpur's road connectivity.
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 including Jetlite, Kingfisher and Spicejet operate civilian aviation services to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Allahabad and elsewhere. Gorakhpur is also host to many tourists who use it as a hub to travel to Lord Buddha's pilgrimage sites.
One can find services of most Tele-communication Network provider in Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur lies at the eastern boundary of "Uttar Pradesh east telecom Circle". However, calls in "U.P. West and Uttarakhand telecom circle" are considered local and thus local charges are applicable.
* Idea Cellular (formerly Escotel) * Cellone * Airtel * Aircel * Reliance GSM * Vodafone(formerly Hutch) * TataDOCOMO * UniNOR
* Reliance India Mobile * Virgin Mobile * Tata Indicom * BSNL WLL
* BSNL Broadband * Sify iWay
DDU University, BRD Medical College and MMM Engineering College are there from decades. There are also some newly opened private colleges like Institute of Technology and Management, GIDA and a Purvanchal Dental College, GIDA.The city also has some good Schools famous in nearby regions. Among them major are Springer Public School, G.N.National Public School, Saraswati Shishu Mandir Sr. Secondary School, St. Joseph's School, Carmel School, N.E.R. Sr. Secondary School, Little Flower School, Central Academy, St. Jude's School and St. Paul's School.
Rashtriya Inter College,Bauliya Railway Colony.
Gorakhpur (Hindi: गोरखपुर, Urdu: گۋڙکھ پور) ') 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.
Gorakhpur is famous as a religious centre: the city was home to Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh saints and is named after the medieval saint Gorakshanath. Gorakhnath Temple is still the seat of the Nath sect. The city is also home to many historic Buddhist sites and the Gita Press, a publisher of Hindu religious texts.
In the 20th century, Gorakhpur was a focal point in the Indian independence movement. Today, the city is also a business centre, hosting the headquarters of the North Eastern Railways www.nerailway.gov.in and an industrial area, GIDA [Gorakhpur Development Authority] 15km from the old town.
It experience pleasant environment throughout the year. In summer the average temperature can go as high as 40 'C and in during the winters the average temperature can go as down as 4 'C. The best time to visit Gorakhpur is during the months of October to March.
Daily Jet airways flight at 2:30 PM from New Delhi to Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur railway station connects to all major cities of India. It was the headquarter of North Eastern Railway. Direct trains connect it to Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and other cities.
Gorakhpur falls on NH 28 and 29. The roadways network connects Gorakhpur to the cities of Uttar Pradesh and to other cities of India. Some important distances are: Lucknow 276 km, Varanasi 231 km, Allahabad 339 km, Agra 624 km, Delhi 783 km and Mumbai 1690 km.
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 excel Sal Forest, giving the divine sense of peace with cool breeze every moment. The south is showered with the power of excellence, in shape of greenish Ramgarh Tal and north is the plinth of city's advancement.
Gorakhpur city has a university, a medical college, an engineering college and many post graduate and degree colleges. It is also the head quarters of North Eastern Railways. You can travel to any corner of India from here. No mean an achievement considering the size of the city. It also has an airport for domestic travel and connects with every major city in India. The city boasts of an army cantonment and an air base. All this, gave a cosmopolitan touch to the city. The world famous publication house of Gita Press gives an intellectual and religious touch to the city.
Direct Trains from all major Stations in India. Roadways (UP Government Bus) connectivity to major cities within the State, Nepal and Delhi. Flight to-from Lucknow, Varanasi and Delhi. Not reliable though as operators frequently stop / start operating on this route due commercial reasons. The airport is dedicated military airbase.
Cycle Rickshaw, a three wheeled human powered cycle, is the major mode of transport in the city. The charges are nominal and can be bargained. Usually a ride of 4-5 km would cost around 15 Rupees. City bus are available for some important routes of city.
Auto Rickshaws are easily available for traveling to some parts in the city.
Taxicabs can also be hired for a fixed time duration as desired by the user.
Places near by:
Rail museum is also a very good picnic place.
All things are available as big cities, but best attraction of this city is terracota material (decorative things made of muddy soil).
Best place to buy your needs is Golghar which situated in the centre of the city. Also you can buy religious books from Gita Press.
Gorakhpur has a fairly good restaurants and eating joints. Apart from the star catagory hotels there are many restaurants in the city
Bar Facilities available in some of hotels.
Mughal Bar (Hotel Bobina) Hotel Ganges
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GORAKHPUR, a city, district and division of the United Provinces of British India. The city is situated on the left bank of the river Rapti. Pop. (1901) 64,148. It is believed to have been founded about 1400 A.D. It is the civil headquarters of the district and was formerly a military cantonment. It consists of a number of adjacent village sites, sometimes separated by cultivated land, and most of the inhabitants are agriculturists.
The District Of Gorakhpur has an area of 4535 sq. m. It lies immediately south of the lower Himalayan slopes, but itself forms a portion of the great alluvial plain. Only a few sandhills break the monotony of its level surface, which is, however, intersected by numerous rivers studded with lakes and marshes. In the north and centre dense forests abound, and the whole country has a verdant appearance. The principal rivers are the Rapti, the Gogra, the Gandak and Little Gandak, the Kuana, the Rohin, the Ami and the Gunghi. Tigers are found in the north, and many other wild animals abound throughout the district. The lakes are well stocked with fish. The district is not subject to very intense heat, from which it is secured by its vicinity to the hills and the moisture of its soil. Dust-storms are rare, and cool breezes from the north, rushing down the gorges of the Himalayas, succeed each short interval of warm weather. The climate is, however, relaxing. The southern and eastern portions are as healthy as most parts of the province, but the tarai and foresttracts are still subject to malaria.
Gautama Buddha, the founder of the religion bearing his name, was born, and died near the boundaries of the district. From the beginning of the 6th century the country was the scene of a continuous struggle between the Bhars and their Aryan antagonists, the Rathors. About goo the Domhatars or military Brahmans appeared, and expelled the Rathors from the town of Gorakhpur, but they also were soon driven back by other invaders. During the 15th and 16th centuries, after the district had been desolated by incessant war, the descendants of the various conquerors held parts of the territory, and each seems to have lived quite isolated, as no bridges or roads attest any intercourse with each other. Towards the end of the 16th century Mussulmans occupied Gorakhpur town, but they interfered very little with the district, and allowed it to be controlled by the native rajas. In the middle of the r8th century a formidable foe, the Banjaras from the west, so weakened the power of the rajas that they could not resist the fiscal exactions of the Oudh officials, who plundered the country to a great extent. The district formed part of the territory ceded by Oudh to the British under the treaty of 1801. During the Mutiny it was lost for a short time, but under the friendly Gurkhas the rebels were driven out. The population in 1901 was 2,957,074, showing a decrease of 3% in the decade. The district is traversed by the main line and several branches of the Bengal & North-Western railway, and the Gandak, the Gogra and the Rapti are navigable.
The Division has an area of 9534 sq. m. The population in 1901 was 6,333,012, giving an average density of 664 persons per sq. m., being more than one to every acre, and the highest for any large tract in India.