Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur, the city of Handlooms and Gita Press, is situated in the north-eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. It is merely 90 Km from Nepal border, hence it becomes a halt for people travelling cross borders. It is also close to Kushinagar, one of the most sacred pilgrimages for Buddhists.

AN INTRODUCTION
Gorakhpur is small city in the north of Uttar Pradesh. The city is known for its proximity to Kushinagar and Nepal. Situated on the banks of river Rapti and Rohini at a height of 77 m from the sea level, Gorakhpur was earlier known as Ramgram and used to be the capital of the Koliyas in the ancient days. Gorakhpur got its name after famous saint Gorakhnath, who flourished here and blessed people with his teachings. Buddha is also said to have visited this place and moved to Kushinagar from Gorakhpur. Gorakhpur was also an important centre for activities of freedom fighters. Famous 'Chauri-Chaura' incident took place here, where 19 British policemen were burnt inside the police station. Currently Gorakhpur enjoys a peaceful environ, with people from different communities living in harmony. The city is a hub of the Handloom products. Gita Press, world famous publisher of Hindu religious books, is also from Gorakhpur. A naturopathy hospital, Arogya Mandir, once the second largest of its kind in Asia, is also situated in Gorakhpur.

PLACE OF INTEREST
Gorakhnath Temple: The Gorakhnath temple is dedicated to saint Gorakhnath of 12th century, who gave Gorakhpur its name. The temple is an architecture delight. It evokes a strong sense of devotion in the devotees. The vast temple complex houses many small temples. Presiding deity of the temple is Saint Gorakhnath. His seat, where he used to preach, has been converted to the shrine.

Gita Press: The Gita Press building is as beautiful as are its publications. Famous globally, the Gita press publishes religious books of Hindu religion. The press is beautifully designed in form of a temple. All 18 parts of "Shri Madbhagwat Gita" are written on marble walls. Other wall hangings and paintings reveal the events of life of Lord Rama & Krishna. All sorts of Hindu religious books and handloom-textiles are sold here on subsidised rates.

Arogya Mandir: The Arogya Mandir is a naturopathy centre. The treatment centre was established in 1940 and for many years it was the largest naturopathy centre in India. It is known for the large buildings and lush green surroundings.

EXCURSIONS
Kushinagar: 51 Km from Gorakhpur is Kushinagar, where Budha attained salvation. He delivered his last sermon in this city. Kushinagar is as holy as Bodhgaya and Nalanda, as Budha spent his last days in the town. Many temples, monuments, buildings have been built by the governments of China, Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Kapilavastu: 97 Km north of Gorakhpur, Kapilvastu is now being developed as an International Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre. Here, Lord Buddha spent 29 years of his early life. There is big stupa, from where the relics of Buddha were discovered during excavations. Ruins of monasteries & palaces can be seen at Ganvaria. There are some other religious places of worship, the Shiv Temple, Narahi, Kubernath and Palta Devi being few of them.

GETTING THERE
By Air: Gorakhpur civil airport is 8 Km from city centre. It has flights on regular basis to Delhi, Varanasi, Lucknow and Kolkata.

By Rail: Gorakhpur is well connected with all major tourist-centers of India.

By Road: 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 139 Km, Agra 624 Km, Delhi 783 Km and Mumbai 1690 Km.