The name "Gorakhpur" comes from the Sanskrit Gorakshapuram, which means abode of Gorakshanatha, a renowned ascetic who was a prominent saint of the Nath Sampradaya.[14][15]
History
The earliest forerunners of the settlement at Gorakhpur were probably "considerably to the north of the present town" because the course of the Rapti was then more to the north and east than it is today; it would have flowed through the present-day city and gone through what is now the Ramgarh Tal. Farmers digging wells in the 1800s/early 1900s would sometimes encounter pieces of old boats, which is indicative of the river's shift in course. The site of Gorakhpur would have been desirable for a human settlement because of its secure location — it is protected on the south and west by the Rapti and Rohin rivers, and in the past there were dense forests on the north and east, offering protection on those sides as well.[16]: 235
The earliest event described in local tradition is the legendary construction of the Mansarowar and Kauladah tanks, in the area now called Purana Gorakhpur, in the 10th century. They are said to have been built by a married couple — Mansarowar is attributed to the husband, the prince Man Sen, while Kauladah is attributed to the wife, Kaulavati. Sometime after that, the area is said to have been ruled by a group known as the Domkatars, who built the Domingarh fort at the confluence of the Rapti and Rohin rivers. Still later, Gorakhpur is said to have been ruled by the Sarnet rajas of Satasi. Sometime around 1400, a family dispute is said to have prompted one branch of the Satasi dynasty to leave the old stronghold, on the shore of Ramgarh Tal, and move to a new location in what is now Purana Gorakhpur, near the shrine of the renowned ascetic Gorakhnath.[16]: 235–6, 239
Mughal period
In any case, Gorakhpur had become a large town by the time of Akbar, in the late 1500s. The earliest contemporary reference to a Mughal garrison at Gorakhpur is in 1572, when it was governed by Payanda Khan on behalf of Munim Khan, then subahdar of Jaunpur. Gorakhpur was for a long time the main Muslim garrison north of the Ghaghra, which may explain why it has such a prominent Muslim presence compared to other parts of the district.[16]: 178, 235–6
In the Ain-i-Akbari (c. 1595), Gorakhpur is listed as the capital of a sarkar in the subah of Awadh. Sarkar Gorakhpur was divided into 24 mahals, and Gorakhpur itself was one of them. The mahal of Gorakhpur was listed with an assessed revenue of 567,385 dams and was expected to supply 200 infantry and 40 cavalry to the Mughal army. It was described as having a brick fort on the Rapti.[17]: 174–5
Gorakhpur also had a mint under Akbar, issuing copper coins only. By the time of Aurangzeb, the Gorakhpur mint was also issuing silver coins. During the 1600s, based on Jean-Baptiste Tavernier's account of his travels in India, Gorakhpur played an important role as a centre for trade with the northern mountain regions.[18]: 33
In the late 1600s, Gorakhpur was officially renamed Mu'azzamabad in honour of Prince Mu'azzam (the later Bahadur Shah I), and this name was used in official documents until the British takeover in 1801.[16]: 236
Gorakhpur is situated about 100 km from the Nepal border, 193 km from Varanasi, 260 km from Patna and 270 km from Lucknow. It is one of the flood vulnerable districts in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Data over the past 100 years show a considerable increase in the intensity and frequency of floods, with extreme events occurring every three to four years. Roughly 20% of the population is affected by floods, which are an annual occurrence in some areas, causing huge loss of life, health, and livelihoods for the poor inhabitants, as well as damage to public and private property.[19]
Gorakhpur is situated on the bank's of Rapti river which is a tributary of Ghagra river. A fairly large lake Ramgarh Tal Lake is also situated in the eastern part of the city.
As of 2011 Indian Census, Gorakhpur had a total population of 673,446, of which 353,907 were males and 319,539 were females. It has a sex ratio of 903 females per 1000 males. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 69,596. Gorakhpur had a literacy rate of 75.2%, of which male literacy was 79.4% and female literacy was 70.6%. The effective literacy rate of the 7+ population of Gorakhpur was 83.9%, of which the male literacy rate was 88.7% and the female literacy rate was 78.6%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 62,728 and 2,929, respectively. Gorakhpur had 112,237 households in 2011.[27]
According to a 2020 report, 31 villages have been incorporated in the municipal corporation limits increasing the population to over 1 million. The city area has also increased from 145.5 km2 in 2011 to 226.6 km2.[4]
The state government has also declared Gorakhpur,as a metropolis on 22 November 2021. Apart from Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation, the government has declared three nagar panchayats and eight development blocks as a metropolitan area. For this, the urban Development Department has issued a notification to the city. According to the order issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development, now in Gorakhpur Metropolitan Region, Municipal Corporation, Nagar Panchayat Pipraich, Nagar Panchayat PPganj, Nagar Panchayat Mundera Bazar, Chargawa, Khorabar, Pipraich, Sardar Nagar, Piprauli, Jungle Kaudiya, Campierganj and The entire area of Bhathat development block has been covered. After this the population of Gorakhpur metropolis will be around 25 lakhs.[1]
Hindi is the most spoken language in the city, although many of those recorded as speaking 'Hindi' actually speak Bhojpuri. Urdu is also spoken here.[28]
Gorakhpur is connected through a rail network and Gorakhpur railway station. Until March 2021, it had world's longest platform of 1366 meters.[b][29] In February 2020, 100 flowering pots with the support structures were made and installed on the hydrant pipe at platform No.2 to increase the plantation and natural cover, using local resources of the Gorakhpur coaching depot.[30]
The station offers Class A-1 railway station facilities. From 6 October 2013, Gorakhpur had the world's longest railway platform, after inauguration of the remodelled Gorakhpur Yard, with a stretch of around 1,355.40 metres (0.84 mi).[31][32][33][34]
Gorakhpur Metro is a light metro project with 2 line and 27 stations is light rail transit (LRT) system approved to be built in Gorakhpur. It consist two corridors covering a distance of 27.84 km.[37]
On 1 December 2021 the central government has also approved the DPR of Gorakhpur light metro project.[38]
