Gorakhpur

This article is about the municipality in Uttar Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see Gorakhpur district.

Gorakhpur
—  city  —
Gorakhpur Location of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and India
Coordinates	26°45′32″N 83°22′11″E
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District(s)	Gorakhpur
Population • Density	676,946 (2001) • 194 /km2 (502 /sq mi)
Sex ratio	1000/959 ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area	3,483.8 square kilometres (1,345.1 sq mi)
Climate Temperature • Summer • Winter	•      26 °C (79 °F) •      40 °C (104 °F) •      18 °C (64 °F)
Codes • Pincode • 2730XX • Telephone • ++91-551 • Vehicle • UP 53
Website	http://gorakhpur.nic.in

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. Gorakhpur is one of the proposed capitals of the Purvanchal state which is yet to be formed. Gorakhpur is famous as a religious centre: the city was home to Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, 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 birthplace of Paramhansa Yogananda, Chandragupta Maurya. 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.

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 Industrial Development Authority) 15 km from the old town.

Origin of name

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.

Location

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.It's vast and provides home to various types of fishes.

Geography

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. 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.

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.

Geology

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

History

Ancient

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 is also birth place of theking Chandra Gupta Maurya, who belonged to Moriyas, a Kshatriya clan of the ancient republic of Pippalivana ("Piparahiyan" in modern day it falls into administrative range of Chauri Chaura tehsil in Gorakhpur) located between Rummindei in the Nepali Terai and Kasia in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

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.

After the Iksvaku dynasty was conquered by Magadha's Nanda Dynasty in the 4th century BC, Gorakhpur became in turn part of the Maurya, Shunga, Kushana, Gupta and Harsha empires. The great emperor of India Chandragupta maurya belonged to Moriyas, a Kshatriya (warrior) clan of a little ancient republic of Pippalivana located between Rummindei in the Nepali Tarai and Kasia in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

In the 10th century, the Tharu king of Mausen Madan Singh ruled over Gorakhpur city and the adjoining area. Gorakhpur was also birth place of King Vikas Sankrityayan.

Medieval

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.

On Akbar's reorganisation of the empire in the 16th century, Gorakhpur gave its name to one of the five Sarkars (administrative units) in the province of Awadh.

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.

Modern

Gorakhpur came under direct British control in 1803. It was one of the major centers of the 1857 uprising, and later played a major role in the Indian independence movement.

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.

Ram Prasad Bismil

Funeral of Bismil at Rajghat, Govind Ballabh Pant standing on extreme right.

Born at Shahjahanpur city of Uttar Pradesh, Ram Prasad Bismil was revolutionary who believed in armed struggle against the British rulers. As the main accused in the Kakori conspiracy case of 1925 he was hanged to death in Gorakhpur District Jail on 19 December 1927. From the condemned cell of this historic jail he wrote his autobiography which was banned by the British Government. From the gallows of Gorakhpur jail he spoke his last will – " I wish the downfall of the British Empire " which became true after 20 years. His death inspired the people of Gorakhpur particularly and the nation to advance the freedom struggle to its logical end. His last rites were performed at Rajghat on the bank of Rapti river where about 1.5 lacs of people were present.

Other incidents

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 village Doharia kala (Pali block 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.

Administrative structure

Gorakhpur is the headquarters 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:

Unit	No.
Number of Tehsil	7
Number of Blocks	19
Number of Nyay Panchayat	191
Number of Gram sabha	1233
Number of Villages	3319

Division of District into Tehsils and Blocks is shown below:

Name of Tehsil	Name of Block
Sadar	Jungle Kaudia, Chargawa, Bhathat, Khorabar, Pipraich
Chauri Chaura	Sardarnagar, Brahmpur
Sahjanawa	Pali, Piprauli, Sahjanwa
Khajni	Khajni, Belghat
Campierganj	Campierganj
Bansgaon	Bansgaon, Kauriram, Gagaha
Gola	Gola, Barhalganj, Uruwa

Political representation

There are two Loksabha constituencies and nine assembly seats in the district of Gorakhpur.The sitting MPs are as follows

S No.	Name of Constituency	Name of Member	Party
1	64-Gorakhpur	Adityanath	BJP
2	Bansgaon	Kamlesh Paswan	BJP

The sitting MLAs are as follows

S No.	Name of Constituency	Name of Member	Party
1	163-Bansgaon	Sadal Prasad	BSP
2	164-Dhuriapar	Rajendra Singh	SP
3	165-Chillupar	Rajesh Tripathi	BSP
4	Kauriram	Ambika	BSP
5	167-Mundera Bazar	Madho Prasad	INC
6	168-Pipraich	Jamuna Nishad	BSP
7	169-Gorakhpur	R M D Agarwal	BJP
8	170-Maniram	Vijay Bahadur Yadav	BJP
9	171-Sahjanwan	Yashpal Singh Rawat	IND

Economy

The economy of Gorakhpur Mahanagar is primarily based on the service industry. There are branches of all major nationalized banks as well as of private banks in the city, most of which are found along Bank Road, named as it was the location of Gorakhpur's first bank, the Kayastha Bank, which was opened in 1906. Later on at this place a branch of Imperial Bank of India was opened in 1923. The Imperial Bank of India was converted into State Bank of India by an act of parliament (State Bank of India Act 1955). The main branch of State Bank of India still exists here along with other business process re-engineering units like SARC (Stressed Assets Recovery Centre), CCPC (Centralised Clearing Processing Cell).

The city has numerous hospitals and other health-related businesses.

The central business district of the city, Golghar, located near the geographical centre includes several major shops, hotels and restaurants, as well as the Rapti Complex, Baldev Plaza, Mangalam Tower and City shopping malls. The Rapti Complex, built in 1987, is the oldest complex in the area.

The Buxipur area is the location for one of the biggest book markets in North Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Hathkargha and terracotta industry

The city is famous for hathkargha (a type of hand operated loom) industry.The beautiful horse and elephant terracotta figures, originally meant for dedicating to village deities on special occasions, have found an appreciative national and international market. Some is the case with the products of the very widespread handloom cottage industry of Gorakhpur which comprises about 30,000 looms, the towels, bed-sheets, bed-covers, table cloths, pillow covers and curtains are among the very best produced by Indian handlooms. But due to competition from mechanised loom industry was been declining.

Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA)

The city has an industrial area called "Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority" or "GIDA". To revolutionise the industrialisation in this area, the state government established this industrial area in 1989 with the objective of creating an integrated model township which will have various large/medium and small scale industries, residential facilities, commercial areas, spaces for institutions of national importance as well as office complexes. The city is proposed to be developed with the state of the art technology in engineering as well as the most modern architecture. Emphasis is also being laid on developing it as a green city to ensure a pollution free environment.

Ministry of Food Processing Industries,Govt. of India is also setting up a Food Park in GIDA to provide facilities such as cold storage, Quality laboratory, Effluent Treatment Plant, infrastructure facilities such as development of road, drainage system etc. at the cost of Rs. 1471.00 Lacs after realizing the need for centralized facilities for agro based and food processing activities.

Sugar industry

Gorakhpur is known for its sugar industry. The largest producer is Saraya industries, whose headquarters is located in Sardar Nagar. The company produces both raw sugar and alcohol.

North Eastern Railway headquarters and mechanical workshop

Gorakhpur is also the headquarters of North Eastern Railways. The mechanical workshop, NER, Gorakhpur was established in 1903. Steam engines were maintained here for a long time, but now diesel engines, coaches, and wagons are the main subjects of maintenance here.

Air Force Station

An air force statution in Gorakhpur was established in 1963, with a variety of planes and services, most notably Jaguar fighter planes and the second oldest helicopter unit of Indian Air Force (NO. 105 Helicopter Unit).

Media

Gorakhpur has all India radio and Doordarshan broadcasting and relay centres of its own. A numberof Hindi Newspapers including Dainik Jagran, Hindustan, Amar Ujala, Aaj, and Rashtriya Sahara are printed in the city.

The FM radio station, Radio Mantra (91.9 MHz) from Jagran Group also operates in the city.

Culture

Cuisine

Traditional cuisine includes platters of Galawati and Kakori kabobs in Oudh and fish. Meat is generally available in the villages and even in the towns the cost makes it a luxury item, but now a day's the growing income of the area made it easy. Wheat, rice, gram, maize, and pulses along with curd, milk, vegetables, ghee and vegetable oils, constitute the items of daily food, rice being the staple food of the people. Coarse grains like jowar, makka, bajra, barley, kodon, madua and sawan, once formed the staple diet of the poor,are not grown these days. Among villagers, sattu, flour of parched gram and barley mixes, and chabena (parched grain) are quite popular. Finely ground sattu is used in the towns also. People generally eat two meals per day, one at around midday and another in the evening. Roti, chapati or rice is eaten with a bowl of pulses or with cooked vegetables, pickles, curd, or only salt jaggery or onion. Tea is a common drink while milk is available every where. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are used. Efforts are being made by various food departments to change the food habits of the people and to induce them to grow and eat more vegetables, eggs, etc., but these have had limited impact so far.

Art

Wood carvery is popular with carved designs on doors and sills echoing stonemasonry images of gods and goddesses that adorn the local temples and shrines.

Music

One of the main features of Gorakhpur's culture is a tradition of folk-songs and folk-dances. At the end of a working day, unwinding with singing and dancing is a popular pastime. This is particularly true during the rainy season between agriculture operations, and on winter nights, when there is little work and much time to fill. 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. Songs are normally accompanied by instruments such as the harmonium, dholak, and manjira. Some of the most popular folk-dances are saved for occasions like festivals, fairs, and weddings.

Dress

The normal dress at home of the men – both Hindu and Muslim – is the kurta, dhoti or pyjamas. When going out they generally put on trousers with a coat, shirt, etc., which has become the dress of working class. On formal occasions, men wear sherwani or achkan and churidar.Men generally don't wear jewellery except sometimes a gold neck chain.

Women mainly wear sari and blouse . The Punjabi women wear salwar, kurta and dupatta. Some Muslim women still wear churidar pyjamas with kurta and dupatta. In the town of Gorakhpur young girls are also seen wearing skirt and slacks, salwar, garara or sharara with kurta and dupatta and recently now bell-bottomed pyjamas with kamiz have in vogue. The use of the lehanga (full long skirt) still persists among the women of the villages or on ceremonial occasions in Hindu families. Women usually cover their head with dupatta or sari. Gold, silver or nickel jewellery is worn according to means and taste. Costume jewellery is also popular now in all communities. Bunda and jhumki(ear ring), kara for hands and feet both, lachcha, payal (anklets), keel and nath (nose-stud and nose-ring); hansuli (tight neck-lace), anguthi (ring), and panchhaila (wristlet) are all commonly worn. Silver bichhia i.e.toe-ring is a must for every married Hindu women.

Entertainment

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. There are also 2 screen multiplex cinema in Gorakhpur

Parks and other leisure areas

Gorakhpur has a world-class amusement park located at Ramgarh Tal lake. Neer Nikunj water park is the most famous hang-out for most of the people of the City and nearby areas. The Ramgarh Tal lake is itself a place for hang out that provides a panoramic and scenic view and one can get rid of the hustle and bustle of the busy city life here.It covers approx. 723 hectares of area. At present the embankment of this lake is about 18 km long which is really unique in its nature. Ramgarh tal has its own specific ecosystem and people adjacent to its bank are closely related. Government’s indifference, heavy garbage dumping and encroachment along the taal has deteriorated not only its water quality but also its morphology too. Several researches indicate that every year 5 cm of sediment is being deposited on the bed of the taal. Now due to rising level of eutrophication, the level of biodiversity of the taal is also gradually declining.

Gorakhpur also has a plethora of well-maintained parks including:

• Prem Chand Park
• Whee Park
• Lal Diggi Park
• Indira Bal Vihar, Golghar
• Vinod Van(Located in Area Of IAF)
• Champa Devi Park
• Ambedkar Park
• Panth Park
• Gorakhpur university Grounds

Vinod Van is one of the biggest zoos of East Uttar Pradesh.It is situated in the lush and green forest of Kushmi Jungle. There are large no. of animals here like deers, antelopes, cheetal, monkeys, Neelgay, snakes, rabbits,crocodiles. It also has an aviary that has a variety of species of birds.

The city also has a Rail museum where the history and antique locomotives of Indian Railways can be seen.The museum also have a toy train for children. There is an A.C food plaza in the museum also.The Rail museum is situated near the headquarters of North Eastern Railway.

There is a buddhist museum called Lord Buddha sangrahalay near Taramandal which attracts thousands of tourists from East and South-East Asian countries every year. The museum houses a lot of things related to Lord Buddha and his life.

City Mall,V Mart, Spencers-Hyper,Cross Road The Mall (located on A D Chowk Buxipur),Baldev Plaza and Mangalam Tower are considered to be a shoppers' paradise and great hang-outs.City Mall and Multiplex, situated in the Golghar Market, is a 5 storey mall that accommodates all top brands of apparel, jewelleries, electronic gizmos, accessories, souvenirs, home products and departmental stores. It offers a convenient reach to the shoppers from around the city along with great architecture, rich aesthetics and great ambience.It houses a 3-Screen multiplex,run by SRS cinemas.

The city also boasts of a state of the art planetarium at Taramandal. It has become new destination for students who want to explore about the planets and the universe.

The primary language of Gorakhpur is Hindi, followed by Bhojpuri.

Notable residents

• Prem Maya Sonir, hockey player
• Anurag Kashyap, film director and screenwriter
• Jimmy Shergill, actor
• Raj Shankar, biochemist
• Shakir Ali (barrister)
• Leo Amery, politician and journalist
• Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Bollywood composer duo
• Billy Arjan Singh, hunter turned conservationist, author
• Raza Murad, actor
• Amrita Sher-Gil, painter
• Vaibhav Saxena, Bollywood music director
• Chunky Pandey, Bollywood actor
• Daler Mehndi, Bhangra pop singer

Literature

One of the biggest attractions to visit when in Gorakhpur is Gita Press. It is the world's largest publishers of Hindu religious texts. The Gita Press was founded around year 1923 by the great Brahmalina Shri Jayadayalji Goyandka. Selling over 370 million copies of various Hindu religious texts the Gita Press is extremely impressive. The building itself is a notable work of architexture. It has an art gallery inside with 648 exquisite paintings by famous artists from different time periods. The Gita Press archives contain over 3,500 manuscripts including over 100 interpretations of the Gita.

Transport

Railways

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, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur Central, Kanpur Anwarganj, Govindpuri, Unnao, Varanasi, Amritsar, Jammu, Pune, Guwahati, Nagpur and other distant parts of the nation. The station offers Class A railway station facilities.The world's Longest Railway Platform is now Gorakhpur with a strech of around 1.3 KM. [5] The city is served by seven Railway stations-

• Gorakhpur Junction
• Gorakhpur Cantt.
• Sahjanwan (for GIDA)
• Chauri Chaura
• Saudagar Mohalla (Near Urdu Bazar)

Roadways

Major national highways intersect at Gorakhpur, including NH 28 and 29. Some important distances are: 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.

Airlines

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. It,s main constituents are two squadrons of spectat jaguar jet fighter planes.Gorakhpur airport is also known as kasiya airport.It mainly serves for IAF planes and some private planes to some extent.Here security is very high.Entrance to the airport except the passengers is very difficult.

Also a must see is the lovely statue of Lord Krishna on a chariot delivering a semron to Arjun. Situated in the old city, Gita press is not only a press for publishing books but a mission conceived by late Jayadajaliji Goyanka, a spiritual inclined person. It is said that he was inspired by Lord Krishna during his sadhana to live Gita, to propagate it, broadcast nishkama karmayoga and inspire people to adopt it as philosophy of life.

Buddha Museum

The Govt. Buddha Museum was established on the bank of Ramgarh lake in 1987. The present building came into existence in 1997. The magnificent building of the museum constructed in Buddhist architectural style contains more than 3,500 antiques, thanka paintings and relics of Gautam Buddha displayed in four galaeries. The idea behind establishing Buddha museum was to collect, preserve, document and exhibit cultural property.

Ramgarh Taal

The cool soothing breeze all over the city may be attributed to the centrally located water body. It can hardly be defined as a 'Pond' for its regular flow and extended surface area. Adding to this is the availability of fresh water round the year unlike other water resources. Its beauty is attributed with Tara Mandal at its Southern bank. The tourists are comforted with Circuit house located near it. Buddha Museum near it offers the tourist to know and learn about Lord Buddha.

Teracotta Town

Situated AT 17 CMS from Gorakhpur `BHATHAT' a small village, which is famous for its earth(MUD) made handicrafts. Famous as Terracotta products, the products range is quite large. Being highly exported to several countries, most of the villagers are engaged in manufacturing terracotta handicrafts. Several National and International Awards have already been won by the Artists.

Tarkulha Devi

Enriched with natural beauty, pond, Sahid Smark and shaktijeet, Tarkulaha Devi Temple is a famous place for devotees of Hindu religion. Tarkulaha Devi was the Ishta Devi of freedom fighter Senani Babu Bandhu Singh. On the eve of Chatra Ramnavmi a one month'large fair is organized every year.

Maghar

Sant Kabir a mystic poet & a well-known saint left his mortal coil here. The great personality taught the lesson of brotherhood after death too. When the town was panic stricken with the news of death of the deity, some naughty ailments tried to make it a issue of religious conflict. But the great sole still cared for his people and in the due course of discussion between Hindus & Muslims that he will be buried or burnt, the body disappeared replaced by heap of flowers. The flowers were then divided into half and Muslims buried it whereas Hindus burnt it. Hindus built Samadhi Mandir at the very place where they burnt their flowers & Muslims made Makbara at the very place where they buried there part of flowers. This unique example of co-existence of Hindu-Muslim harmony and peace is visible today in Maghar. Behind the Samadhi-Makbara there is a cave in which Sant Kabir used to perform his deep 'Tapasya'. The present façade and shape of cave is restored by earthwork for about hundred years ago. 'Kabir-Dhuni' and 'Gorakh talaiya' are located about 1 km away from Samadhi near Kasarwal village on National Highway.

Lehra Devi Temple

It is believed that while wandering in the forest for 14 years, Pandavas lived a year in disguise. They visited the Lehra town and were offered shelter by Lehra Devi. Once Maa came to the town as a beautiful girl and wanted to cross the river. She hired a boat and started the journey but in middle of the river the boatman grew interested in her splendid beauty and went off track. As soon as Devi understood his intention she disappeared with the boat. In the Kalyug she was seen with the boat to her follo...

Imambara

The Imambara—abode of imams—is a well known landmark of Gorakhpur. Its history begins with the advent of Syed Roshan Ali Shah in Gorakhpur in 1774. His father Syed Ghulam Ashraf, a native of Bakhara, had come to Delhi during the reign of Modammad Shah. He fled from Delhi during one of the invasion of Ahmad Shah Abdali. He finally settled at Shahpur. His son Syed Roshan Ali Shah left him and came to Gorakhpur where he inherited a sizable land from his maternal grandfather in mohalla Daud Chak (now Mian Bazzar). He decided to build an Imambara on his land and changed the name of Daud Chak to Imamganj.

Raja Pahalwan Singh of Satari donateed mauza Kusmahi along with the jungles in 1793 for Niyaz Imam Saheb. Nawab Asif-ud-Daulah, the Shia ruler of Oudh, offer a grant of 16 villages, Rs. 10,000 cash and a silver Tazia in 1796 to Roshan Ali Shah. With rhis grant Shah built a pucca enclosure around the central Imambara and added other edifices to it.

Budhia mai Temple

The famous Budhiya Mai temple is situated in the lush and green milieu of Kushmi Jungle in front of Vinod van. Thousands of devotees throng it to offer their prayer everyday during navrati.

Kali mata ji Mandir

The very famous Kali mata ji Mandir is situated in Golghar area of the city. Although the temple is not not very big but it is the blessings of the supreme goddess and the spiritual atmosphere of the garbhgrih of the temple that fetch thousands of devotees everyday

V Park

Called as V-Park, the grand green park is situated inside the town in the east near University Area, A paradise for morning walkers, the park is governed and maintained by the administration and consist of natural trees, several fruit trees, plants etc. Plants of several varieties are also available for sale. The park also develops motherbirds of Roses of several Colours and varieties.

Education

Gorakhpur is the educational hub of North Eastern Uttar Pradesh. It has some best schools in the region.It is also worth mentioning here that Gorakhpur is the birth place of famous Saraswati Shishu Mandir of Saraswati Shishu Mandir group of schools.It was opened in 1952 at Pakkibagh,Gorakhpur. There are a lot of degree colleges here. The city also boasts of a state university,an autonomous government engineering college,a government medical college. Apart from this, there are numerous private engineering colleges, dental colleges, pharma colleges and institutes for MBA in the city,the details of which are as follows:

Schools

• Vatsalya Public School-Manas Vihar, Padari Bazar, Gorakhpur
• Miyan Sahab Islamia Inter College
• Air Force School
• Mahatma Gandhi Inter College
• N E R Senior Secondary School
• Murari Children's Academy
• Govt. Jublee Inter College
• Carmel's Girls Inter College
• A D Govt. Girls inter College
• Springer Public School
• Little Flower School
• St. Joseph School
• St. Paul's School
• Central Academy
• F.C.I. Inter College, Fertilizer Colony, Gorakhpur.
• Springer Loretto Girls Public School
• N E R Boys Inter College
• N E R Girls Inter College
• G.N.National Public School
• H.P Children's Academy
• Saraswati Shishu Mandir Sr. Secondary School
• St Xaviers Public School
• Pillar's Public School
• Sanskriti Public School
• Gandhi Shatabdi Inter College
• Maharana Pratap Inter College
• Nehru Inter College
• Rashtriya Inter College
• Abhay Nandan Inter College
• St. Anthony School
• Bright Land School
• Opex Public School
• Ram Narayan Girls Inter College
• Maharana Pratap Inter College
• Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1, Air Force Station
• Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2, FCI
• Army School
• Divine Public Schol
• Vikas Bharti Public school
• Neena Thapa GRD High School
• Central Hindu School
• ABC Public School
• Blossom Sr. Secondary School
• Oxford Public School
• Naval's National Academy
• Netaji Defense academy
• Oxford Public School
• Maharshi Vidya Mandir
• Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya
• Gorakhpur Public School
• G N National Public school
• Baby Paradise Academy
• Don Bosco School
• Woodland Academy
• S.N.S High School
• Empirical Academy Doudpur
• D B Inter collage
• DAV Inter collage
• centarl Public School chauri chaura
• R.S.M. School near MMMEC
• St. Andrew's Inter College, Gorakhpur
• Murari Inter collage Sahjanwa Gorakhpur

Degree colleges

• Arya Mahila Post Graduate College, Gorakhpur
• Madhusudan Das Degree College, Gorakhpur
• Bhawani Prasad Pandey Mahavidyalaya, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Islamia College of Commerce Near Jubilee Talkies, Gorakhpur
• St. Andrew's Degree College, Civil lines, Gorakhpur
• Digvijay Nath Degree College
• Beyond Careers Golghar
• Saraswati Vidya Mandir Mahila Degree College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Imambara Degree college
• Deen Dayal Upadyaay Govt Degree College Sahjanwa
• M.G. Post Graduate College
• Marwar Business college, near jhankar cinema, Ghazi Rauza
• Shyameswar Degree College, Sikariganj, Gorakhpur
• Veer Bahadur Singh Degree college, Harnahi, Gorakhpur
• Chandra Kanti Ramavati Arya Mahila P.G. College, Gorakhpur
• Bapu Degree College peppeganj, Gorakhpur.
• V.S.A.V. Degree College, Gola Bazar Gorakhpur
• Smt. Draupadi devi Tripathi PG College, Rudrapur, khajani, Gorakhpur
• J.B. Mahajan Degree College, Chauri Chaura
• Gangotri Devi Mahila Degree College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Jawad Ali Shah Imambara Girls Post Graduate College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• St Josephs College For Women, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Veer Bahadur Memorial Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh

Engineering colleges

• Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College

Madan Mohan Malviya Engineering College was founded in 1962 to provide engineering and technical education for the development of the backward districts of eastern U.P. The college runs Under Graduate Programme in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Electronics & Communication and Computer Science. In addition to regular courses, it also runs part time Post Graduate Diploma Courses ( evening ) in Computer Application called P.G.D.C.A. and Computer Hardware Maintenance & Networking. Besides teaching & research facilities, the college provides technical know how and consultancy to various industries of this area.

• Institute of Technology and Management, Gida

Institute of Technology & Management, arguably one of the best Institutes in private sector in U.P., was established at Gorakhpur in the year 2000 by Shree Krishna Educational Society, under the chairmanship of The objective of society is upliftment of professional education in eastern Uttar Pradesh, covering the surroundings of Nepal & Bihar. The campus of the institute has been developed at National Highway 28, and is spread over 22 acres of land, having its frontage of 400 meters on roadside with an equivalent in depth. The institute is affiliated to U.P. Technical University Lucknow and approved by All India Council for Technical Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi and the Govt. of U.P., for B.Tech., M.C.A. and B.Pharma. programs.

• Institute of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (IAME),Gorakhpur
• Institute of Technology and Management for Women, Gida.
• Buddha Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Suyash Institute of information Technology
• Kailash Institute of Pharmacy and Management
• Maharana Pratap Mangla Devi Insititute of Computer Science, Technology and Management, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• KIPM College of Management
• Manyawar Kanshiram Engineering College of Information Technology
• Dr BR Ambedkar Pooja College of Pharmacy, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Swami Vivekanand Institute Of Information and Technology, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh
• DOEACC Society Gorakhpur

Polytechnic institutes

• Govt Polytechnic college
• Govt ITI college
• ICM college
• M.P. Polytechnic

Medical/dental colleges

• BRD Medical College

Established in the year 1969, Baba Raghav Das Medical College is 6th Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. This institution is affiliated with Gorakhpur University. Since 1980, the College is running Post Graduate training programme also, for the degree of M.S. & M.D. in Anatomy, Surgery, orthopaedics, Obst.& Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Pathology, Anaesthesiology, Pediatrics, Medicine, Skin & V.D. etc.

• Gorakhpur School of Natural Therapeutics
• Purvanchal Institute of dental sciences
• Guru Shri Gorakshnath School of Nursing

Ayurvedic hospitals

Veda Panchakarma Hospital & Research Institute (Eye, skin, neuro, & infertility)

Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University

DDUGU 2005

Setup in 1957, 25 thousand students at present, are enrolled with approximately 320 teachers. Apart from the general courses, the University offers courses in Bio-Technology, Bio-Chemistry, Computer, Journalism, fine Arts & Music and MBA . It is also the centre of Academic Staff College (under UGC) and Indira Gandhi National Open University( IGNOU). It produced two chief ministers of the State, Shri. Vir Bahadur Singh and Shri. Raj Nath Singh Number of faculty members have held the post of Vice Chancellor, in different Universities with dignity. The prominent Vice Chancellor of Gorakhpur University were Prof. R.P. Rastogi (BHU), Prof. Nagendra (Lucknow), Prof. U.P. Singh (Purvanchal Univ.), Dr. Vidya Niwas Misra (Kashi Vidya Peeth), Prof. V.S. Pathak, Prof. Radhe Mohan& Mishra, Prof. Revati Raman etc. It also gave Directors of Higher Education Commission, Rajarshi Tondon Open University, Secondary Education Commission

• Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University, with its many affiliated colleges.