Gorakhnath: The Siddha Whose Yogis Run Shrines From Nepal to Rajasthan

The Naths are recognisable, and their distinguishing marks are worth knowing because they appear at shrines across north India.

• Kanphata, split ear. Initiated Nath yogis have the cartilage of the ear pierced and wear large rings called kundal or mudra, and the term kanphata comes from that practice.
• The singnad janeu, a thread with a small horn whistle, worn by initiates and sounded at particular moments
• Ash, saffron or ochre cloth, and the rudraksha
• The dhuni, the sacred fire kept burning at a Nath establishment, sometimes for generations

The order's structure includes twelve panths, sub lineages with their own histories, and a network of mathas, of which the one at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is the best known.

What distinguishes the Nath approach:

• Emphasis on yoga and inner practice over ritual and scripture
• A tradition open to initiates from any community, which historically made it accessible to people excluded elsewhere
• Teaching delivered in regional languages, not Sanskrit alone
• A Shaiva orientation, with Shiva as Adinath, the first Nath, at the head of the lineage

That last point matters. In this tradition Shiva is not only a deity to be worshipped but the first practitioner and the source of the method, and Gorakhnath stands in a line that begins with him.

The city of Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh takes its name from Gorakhnath, and the Gorakhnath Math there is the tradition's most prominent centre.

The math complex includes the main shrine, the samadhi sthals of past mahants, the dhuni, and a large campus with institutions attached to it. It functions as a working monastic centre rather than only as a temple.

Its biggest annual event is the Khichdi Mela, held from Makar Sankranti and running for weeks:

• Devotees offer khichdi, uncooked rice and dal, to Gorakhnath, and the offering is made in enormous quantity through the day and night
• The first khichdi is offered by the math, after which devotees offer theirs in a continuous stream
• Pilgrims come from across eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Nepal, since the border is close and the Nath tradition is strong on both sides
• A large fair runs alongside for several weeks

The simplicity of the offering is the point. Khichdi is the plainest food in the north Indian kitchen, made of what every household has, and it is what a yogi would eat. A tradition built on renunciation is fed accordingly.

Other important Nath centres include Gorkha in Nepal, from which the country's Gorkha name derives, along with mathas and shrines in Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the Himalayan states.

One of the most striking things about Gorakhnath is how often he appears in the origin stories of deities who are worshipped independently of him.

• Gogaji of Rajasthan is said to have been born after Guru Gorakhnath blessed his mother Bachhal Devi, and his shrines retain a connection with Nath ascetics
• Baba Balak Nath of Himachal is placed in relation to Gorakhnath in tradition, and is counted with the Naths while declining formal discipleship in the telling
• Devi Patan in Uttar Pradesh, a Shakti Peeth, is administered by Nath mahants, with the lineage connected to Gorakhnath
• Nath shrines in Punjab, Rajasthan and the Himalaya appear throughout the folk devotional landscape of the region
• Ratannath, revered across the Indo Nepal border, belongs to the same tradition

This is not a coincidence. Between roughly the twelfth and eighteenth centuries the Naths were a mobile, widespread ascetic presence across northern and western India, moving through exactly the regions where these folk deities emerged.

When a local hero or a village deity acquired a wider following, a connection to a Nath siddha placed them within a recognised spiritual framework. That is how devotional traditions have always grown, and the Gorakhnath link is one of the clearest examples of it in India.

For devotees, the practical result is that a great many north Indian devotional threads lead back to the same tradition, whether or not the devotees themselves have any contact with the Nath order.

The Nath teaching is practical, blunt and directed at the practitioner rather than at the reader, and the Gorakh bani verses are the clearest expression of it.

Recurring themes:

• The body is the instrument. Hatha yoga in this tradition is not exercise but a method of working with breath, posture and attention to reach a stable inner state.
• Control of the mind before control of anything else. The verses return constantly to restlessness and the need to steady it.
• Suspicion of display. Ritual, argument, scholarship and outward marks of religiosity are treated as beside the point if the practitioner has not changed.
• Direct language. The verses are short, often confrontational, and in the spoken language of ordinary people rather than in Sanskrit.
• Guru as necessity. The method is understood to require transmission, not just texts.

This is why the tradition sits somewhat apart from temple Hinduism while remaining entirely within it. A Nath yogi may worship Shiva, may run a temple, and may serve at a Devi shrine, and still hold that the actual work is internal.

For ordinary devotees who are not initiated, the tradition offers something simpler: the figure of a guru who is understood to be present, a shrine to visit, an offering as plain as khichdi, and a body of verses in a language they can understand without a commentary.

Gorakhnath shrines are found across north India, and the main ones are easy to reach.

• Gorakhnath Math, Gorakhpur - the principal centre, open through the year, with the Khichdi Mela from Makar Sankranti as its largest event. Gorakhpur is a major rail junction and easy to reach from Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna.
• Devi Patan, Tulsipur - the Shakti Peeth administered by Nath mahants, a few hours away, which pairs naturally with a Gorakhpur visit
• Nath shrines across Rajasthan, Punjab and Himachal, including those connected to Gogaji and Baba Balak Nath
• Gorakhnath temples in Nepal, in the Gorkha region and elsewhere

What to know before visiting:

• The math is an active monastic institution, not only a temple, and parts of it are the residence and working space of the order
• Ask before entering unfamiliar sections, and do not photograph yogis without permission
• The dhuni is sacred and is not to be approached casually or used to light anything
• During the Khichdi Mela the crowds are very large, so plan for queues and limited transport

One thing worth doing on any Nath visit: ask about the panth and lineage of the shrine you are at. Every Nath establishment knows exactly where it sits in the order, and the answer tends to open up a devotional map of north India that is invisible from outside.