Gorakhnath Math

The Gorakhnath Nath (Gorakhnath Mutt) is a temple of the Nath monastic group in the Nath tradition. The name Gorakhnath derives from the medieval saint, Gorakhnath (c. 11th century), a famous yogi who travelled widely across India and authored a number of texts that form part of the canon of the Nath sampradaya. The Nath tradition was founded by guru Matsyendranath.This math is situated in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh within a large premis.The temple performs various cultural and social activities and serves as the cultural hub of the city.

History

The Gorakhpur district takes its name from Gorakhnath, who was a saint of the 'Nath Sampradaya'. A famous shrine called Gorakhnath Nath was built in his honour at the location where he practised his austerities.

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

Gorakhpur was a part of the famous kingdom of Koshal, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas in the 6th century BC. The earliest known monarch ruling over this region with his capital at Ayodhya was Ikshavaku, who founded the solar dynasty of kshatriyas. It produced a number of illustrious kings till the accession of Ram, who was the greatest ruler of this dynasty. Since then, Gorakhpur remained an integral part of the erstwhile empires of Maurya, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta and Harsha dynasties.