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46-511: Myth holds that a saint named Gorakhnath appeared for the first time in Nepal in Gorkha. There remains a cave with his paduka ('footprint') and a likeness which supports the myth. As the city was established in the place where Sage Gorakhnath appeared, it was named Gorkha . Gorkha town has daily bus services to and from Kathmandu (four or five hrs) and Pokhara (three hours). At the time of

92-495: A langar and provide a free meal to pilgrims who visit. The Gurkhas of Nepal take their name from Gorakhnath. Gorkha , a historical district of Nepal, is also named after him. A cave exists in Gorkha with his paduka (footprints) and an idol. Every year, on the day of Baisakh Purnima, a celebration known as Rot Mahotsav takes place in the cave; it has purportedly been celebrated for the last seven hundred years. According to William Northey and John Morris, legend states that

138-414: A disciple of Machendra by name Gorakhnath once visited Nepal and retired to a small hill near Deo Patan. There, he meditated in an unmovable state for twelve years. The locals built a temple in his honour there. Dang valley of Nepal, located in the south-west of the country close to India, is regarded as one of the historically significant place for the disciples of Gorakhnath for over 1300 years. As per

184-675: A general of the Yadava king Ramacandra donated a village to a yogi in 13th-century. Near Mangalore, that later became a hub of Nath yogis, a monastery and temple was dedicated to yogis in the 10th century. David Lorenzen states that the Nath yogis have been very popular with the rural population in South Asia, with medieval era "tales and stories about Nath yogis such as Gorakhnath, Matsyendra, Jalandhar, Gopichand, Bharthari, Kanhapa and Chaurangi" continuing to be remembered in contemporary times, in

230-460: A group of early Buddhist tantrikas from Bengal ( mahasiddhas , siddhacaryas ), the alchemists of medieval India ( rasa siddha ), and a mainly north Indian group known as the Nath siddhas . The Nath siddhas are the only still existing representatives of the medieval Tantric tradition, which had disappeared due to its excesses. While the Nath siddhas enjoyed persistent popular success, they attracted

276-568: A life as an exponent of ideas of Kumarila and Adi Shankara that championed the Yogic and Advaita Vedanta interpretation of the Upanishads. Gorakhnath considered the controversy between dualism and nondualism in medieval India as useless from a practical point of view. According to Banerjea, He emphasised that the choice is that of the yogi, and that spiritual discipline and practice by either path leads to "perfectly illumined samadhi state of

322-462: A long distance to the district headquarters or Kathmandu or end up dying because of lack of treatment. Many people still believe in Dhami and Jhakri and are against taking medicine or going to the hospital for the treatment. An NGO, PHASE Nepal provides many health care facilities and training programs to three VDCs: Sirdibas, Bihi/Prok and Chumchet. Many people residing in these VDCs have benefited from

368-419: A means to reaching samadhi . Gorakhnath, his ideas, and his yogis have been popular in rural India, with monasteries and temples dedicated to him found in many states of India, particularly in the eponymous city of Gorakhpur . Historians disagree on when Gorakhnath lived. Briggs estimates 11th to 12th century, while Abbott argues that Baba Farid documents and Jnanesvari manuscripts place Gorakhnath in

414-622: A professor of Religious Studies known for his studies on Yoga and music, "the connections between Goraknath, the Kanphatas and Hatha yoga are beyond question". According to Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, a professor in Asian languages and cultures, the Gorakhnath orders were operating free community kitchens in Punjab before Guru Nanak founded Sikhism. Gorakhnath shrines have continued to operate

460-532: A term generally applied to a practitioner ( sādhaka , sadhu ) who has, through his practice ( sadhana ), realized his dual goal of superhuman powers ( siddhis , 'realizations', 'perfections') and bodily immortality ( jivanmukti ). Archeological evidence suggests that in some contexts and regions, yogi of the Nath Siddha tradition were respected and recognized in India. For example, inscriptions suggest

506-521: A yogi and yogini. One view asserts restraint in sexual activity, towards monk - and nun -like asexuality, as transmutation away from worldly desires and onto a spiritual path. It is not considered, states Stuart Sovatsky, as a form of moralistic repression but a personal choice that empowers the yoga practitioner to redirect his or her energies. The second view, found particularly in Tantra traditions according to David Gordon White , asserts that sexuality

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552-522: Is a Hatha Yoga Sanskrit text attributed to Gorakhnath by the Nath tradition. According to Feuerstein (1991: p. 105), it is "one of the earliest hatha yoga scriptures, the Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati , contains many verses that describe the avadhuta " (liberated) yogi. The Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati text is based on an advaita (nonduality) framework, where the yogi sees "himself in all beings, and all in himself" including

598-669: Is a practitioner of Yoga , including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions . The feminine form, sometimes used in English, is yogini . Yogi has since the 12th century CE also denoted members of the Nath siddha tradition of Hinduism , and in Hinduism , Buddhism and Jainism , a practitioner of tantra . In Hindu mythology, the god Shiva and the goddess Parvati are depicted as an emblematic yogi–yogini pair. Traditional In Classical Sanskrit ,

644-673: Is a temple in Vadukku Poigainallur, Nagapattinam , Tamil Nadu which specifically houses his Jeeva Samadhi . According to one account, he spent much of his youth in the Velliangiri Mountains , Coimbatore . There are various other shrines honouring Korakkar , including ones located in Perur , Thiruchendur and Trincomalee . Korakkar Caves are found in both Sathuragiri and the Kolli Hills , where he

690-496: Is also a temple of Gorakhnath in the state of Odisha. The Gorakhnath Math is a monastery of the Nath monastic group named after the medieval saint, Gorakhnath (c. 11th century), of the Nath sampradaya. The math and town of Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh is named after him. The monastery and the temple perform various cultural and social activities and serve as the cultural hub of the city. The monastery also publishes texts on

736-460: Is also used for divine goddesses and enlightened mothers, all revered as aspects of the mother goddess , Devi . A yogi should not be confused with someone practicing asceticism and excessive self-mortification. In Hinduism the term yogi refers to an adherent of yoga . The earliest evidence of yogis and their spiritual tradition, states Karel Werner , is found in the Keśin hymn 10.136 of

782-511: Is an additional means for a yogi or yogini to journey towards and experience the bliss of "one realized god-consciousness for oneself". In the second view, sexuality is a yogic practice, and one broadly revered through the lingam – yoni iconography of Shiva – Parvati , the divine yogi–yogini in Hindu mythology. Both a yogi and a philosopher are seekers of an absolute truth. But they differ in their modes of approach. A philosopher advances in

828-569: Is called "sage" (muni). They wear clothes made of yellow rags fluttering in the wind, or perhaps more likely, they go naked, clad only in the yellow dust of the Indian soil. But their personalities are not bound to earth, for they follow the path of the mysterious wind when the gods enter them. He is someone lost in thoughts: he is miles away. The term yogin appears in Katyayana Shrauta-sutra and chapter 6 of Maitri Upanishad, where

874-428: Is noted to have practised his sadhana. Like his colleagues, the 18 Siddhars , Korakkar wrote cryptic Tamil poetry pertaining to medicine , philosophy and alchemy . He was one of the first to use cannabis in his medicinal preparations for certain ailments; as a result, it gained the name Korakkar Mooligai (Korakkar's Herb). The Bengali Hindu community in the states of West Bengal , Tripura , and Assam , and

920-575: Is the data obtained from the PHASE Nepal website: A district hospital is in Gorkha , the municipal hospital in Amppipal is supported by a German NGO. The small health centers in many village development committees (VDCs) are without Auxiliary Health Workers (AHWs), Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Community Health Workers (CHWs). So, people seeking emergency health assistance have to travel

966-981: The 2011 Nepal census , Gorkha District had a population of 271,061. As their first language, 73.0% spoke Nepali , 13.4% Gurung , 4.7% Magar , 3.8% Tamang , 1.1% Ghale , 0.9% Urdu , 0.7% Newari , 0.6% Kumhali , 0.6% Chepang , 0.5% Bajjika , 0.2% Bhojpuri , 0.2% Yolmo and 0.2% other languages. Ethnicity/caste: 19.8% were Khas/Chhetri , 15.2% Hill Brahmin , 11.6% Magar , 11.5% Gurung , 7.8% Newar , 7.6% Sarki , 5.6% Kami , 4.8% Tamang , 3.0% Damai /Dholi, 3.0% Kumal , 2.5% Brahmu/Baramo, 1.9% Ghale , 1.3% Chepang /Praja, 1.1% Musalman , 1.0% Sanyasi/Dasnami, 0.8% Gharti/ Bhujel , 0.3% Darai , 0.3% Thakuri , 0.2% Majhi, 0.1% Badi , 0.1% Gaine , 0.1% Rai , 0.1% Tharu and 0.2% others. Religion: 75.1% were Hindu , 19.1% Buddhist , 3.3% Christian , 1.1% Muslim , 0.6% Bon , 0.6% Prakriti and 0.1% others. Literacy: 66.1% could both read and write, 2.4% could read but not write and 31.4% could neither read nor write. Following

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1012-505: The Rigveda , though with the terminology of Rudra who evolved into Shiva worshipped as the lord of Yoga in later Hinduism. The Hindu scripture Rigveda uses words of admiration for the Yogis, whom it refers to as Kesin, and describes them as follows (abridged): Carrying within oneself fire and poison, heaven and earth, ranging from enthusiasm and creativity to depression and agony, from

1058-428: The 11th to 12th century to Grierson's estimate of the 14th century. Gorakhnath is considered a Maha-yogi (or "great yogi") in Hindu tradition. He did not emphasise a specific metaphysical theory or a particular Truth , but emphasised that the search for Truth and the spiritual life is a valuable and normal goal of man. Gorakhnath championed Yoga , spiritual discipline and an ethical life of self-determination as

1104-482: The 13th century. Grierson, relying on evidence discovered in Gujarat, suggests the 14th century. Gorakhnath is referenced in the poetry of Kabir and of Guru Nanak of Sikhism , which describe him as a very powerful leader with a large following. Historical texts imply that Gorakhnath was a Buddhist in a region influenced by Shaivism, but then converted to Hinduism, championing Shiva and Yoga . Gorakhnath led

1150-607: The Deccan, western and northern states of India and in Nepal. In some contexts, adds White, the term yogi has also been a pejorative term used in medieval India for a Nath siddha, particularly on the part of India's social, cultural and religious elites. The term siddha has become a broad sectarian appellation, applying to Saiva-devotees in the Deccan ( Maheśvara siddhas ), alchemists in Tamil Nadu ( siddhars or sittars ),

1196-567: The conventional sense of the word. The Nath Yogis were targets of Islamic persecution in the Mughal Empire . The texts of Yogi traditions from this period, state Shail Mayaram, refer to oppressions by Mughal officials such as governor. The Mughal documents confirm the existence of Nath Yogis in each pargana (household neighborhoods), and their persecution wherein Nath Yogis were beheaded by Aurangzeb . According to David Lorenzen,

1242-703: The country Bangladesh have a sizeable number of people belonging to the Nath Sampradaya , named as Nath or Yogi Nath , who have taken the name from Gorakhnath. They were marginalised in Medieval Bengal. Romola Butalia , an Indian writer of Yoga history, lists the works attributed to Gorakhnath as including the Gorakṣaśataka , Goraksha Samhita , Goraksha Gita , Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati , Yoga Martanda , Yoga Siddhanta Paddhati , Yogabīja , Yogacintamani . The Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati

1288-560: The following municipalities and Village development committees : Gorakhnath Gorakhnath (also known as Goraksanath (Sanskrit: Gorakṣanātha ), c. early 11th century) was a Hindu yogi , mahasiddha and saint who was the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India . He is considered one of the two disciples of Matsyendranath . His followers are known as Jogi , Gorakhnathi , Darshani or Kanphata . He

1334-480: The heights of spiritual bliss to the heaviness of earth-bound labor. This is true of man in general and the [Vedic] Keśin in particular, but the latter has mastered and transformed these contrary forces and is a visible embodiment of accomplished spirituality. He is said to be light and enlightenment itself. The Keśin does not live a normal life of convention. His hair and beard grow longer, he spends long periods of time in absorption, musing and meditating and therefore he

1380-566: The identity of the individual soul ( Atman ) with the universal ( Brahman ). This idea appears in the text in various forms, such as the following: The four varna (castes) are perceived to be located in the nature of the individual, i.e. Brahmana in sadacara (righteous conduct), Ksatriya in saurya (valor and courage), Vaisya in vyavasaya (business), and Sudra in seva (service). A yogin experiences all men and women of all races and castes within himself. Therefore he has no hatred for anybody. He has love for every being. Yogi A yogi

1426-598: The implied context and meaning is "a follower of the Yoga system, a contemplative saint". The term sometimes refers to a person who belongs to the Natha tradition. They usually belong to Shaiva tradition, but some Natha belong to the Vaishnava tradition. In both cases, states David Lorenzen, they practice yoga and their principal god tends to be Nirguna , that is a god that is without form and semi- monistic , influenced in

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1472-538: The individual phenomenal consciousness.". The hagiography on Gorakhnath describe his appearance on earth several times. The legends do not provide a birth time or place, and consider him to be superhuman. North Indian hagiographies suggest he originated from northwest India ( Punjab , with some mentioning Peshawar ). Other hagiographies in Bengal and Bihar suggest he originated from eastern region of India ( Assam ). Available hagiographies offer varying records of

1518-516: The legend, the king of Dang named Ratnaparikshak was initiated by Gorakhnath in the valley's forest and later became a famed siddha called Ratnanath, and built a temple. Ratnanath travelled across the sub-continent to spread the teachings of Hatha yoga . In the Siddhar tradition of Tamil Nadu , Gorakhnath is one of the 18 esteemed Siddhars of yore, and is also known as Korakkar . Siddhar Agastya and Siddhar Bhogar were his gurus . There

1564-600: The medieval era by the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism, Madhyamaka school of Buddhism, as well as Tantra and Yogic practices. The Yoga-Bhashya (400 CE), the oldest extant commentary on the Yoga-Sutra offers the following fourfold classification of yogis: A yogi or yogini aspires to Brahmacharya (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मचर्य), which means celibacy if single, or non-cheating on one's partner. There have been two parallel views, in Hindu texts, on sexuality for

1610-464: The movement's expansion happened under the guidance and inspiration of Gorakhnath. He produced a number of writings and even today is considered the greatest of the Naths . It has been purported that Gorakhnath wrote the first books on Laya yoga . In India there are many caves, many with temples built over them, where it is said that Gorakhnath spent time in meditation. According to Bhagawan Nityananda ,

1656-571: The origins of Hatha yoga with the Nath yogis, in particular Gorakhnath and his guru Matsyendranath . According to British indologist James Mallinson , this association is false. In his view, the origins of hatha yoga should be associated with the Dashanami Sampradaya of Advaita Vedanta (Hinduism), the mystical figure of Dattatreya , and the Rāmānandīs . While the origins of Hatha yoga are disputed, according to Guy Beck,

1702-487: The path of rational logic (theory) and wants to intellectually understand the Truth. A yogi advances in the path of self discipline (practice) and aspires to spiritually realize truth. —Akshaya Banerjea, Philosophy of Gorakhnath A yogi or yogini lives by other voluntary ethical precepts called Yamas and Niyamas . These include: According to David White, [S]iddha means 'realized, perfected one',

1748-522: The philosophy of Gorakhnath. A shrine existed at the site from older times which was converted into a mosque by Ala-ud-din Khilji. A smaller shrine was built by Nath Sampraday's followers at a later time. Later additions were made in 18th, 19th and 20th century by devotees and yogis of the order. The math is situated in a Muslim majority area and is a centre of syncretism among devotees and visitors from diverse communal background. Some scholars associate

1794-486: The program. As per the National Population and Housing Census of Nepal 2011, the literacy rate of Gorkha is 66.34%. The female literacy rate is 59.44% and the male literacy rate is 75.09%. The district consists of 11 Municipalities , out of which two are urban municipalities and nine are rural municipalities . These are as follows: Prior to the restructuring of the district, Gorkha District consisted of

1840-779: The religious groups in Hinduism that militarized and took up arms following the Muslim conquest of India , to resist persecution, appeared among the Nath or Kanphata yogis, often called simply yogis or jogis. The warrior ascetics were institutionalized as a religious order by Gorakhnath and were expanding in the 13th century, after the establishment of the first Islamic Sultanate in India. They interacted and cooperated with fakirs of Sufi Muslims. The yogis feature prominently in Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire period official documents, states David White, both in terms of impressing

1886-634: The ruling elite in the Muslim administration and awards of receiving land grants in some cases such as by Akbar , as well as those yogis who targeted the elite merchants and disrupted the business of administrative Islamic elites in urban areas. In other cases, yogis from the Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism marshaled armed resistance against the Mughal and British colonial armies. The history of Nath yogis has been diverse, such as in

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1932-563: The samadhi shrine (tomb) of Gorakhnath is at Nath Mandir near the Vajreshwari temple about one kilometre from Ganeshpuri, Maharashtra , India . Legends state that Gorakhnath and Matsyendranath did penance in Kadri Temple at Mangalore, Karnataka. They were also instrumental in laying Shivlingam at Kadri and Dharmasthala. The temple of Gorakhnath is situated on hill called Garbhagiri near Vambori, Tal Rahuri; Dist Ahmednagar. There

1978-466: The scorn of the elite classes. According to White, the term yogi , has "for at least eight hundred years, been an all-purpose term employed to designate those Saiva specialists whom orthodox Hindus have considered suspect, heterodox, and even heretical in their doctrine and practice". The yoga as practiced by these Yogis, states White, is more closely identified in the eyes of those critics with black magic, sorcery and sexual perversions than with yoga in

2024-447: The spiritual descent of Gorakhnath. All name Adinath and Matsyendranath as two teachers preceding him, though one account lists five gurus preceding Adinath, and another lists six teachers between Matsyendranath and Gorakhnath. Current tradition has Adinath placed with Shiva as the direct teacher of Matsyendranath , who was himself the direct teacher of Gorakhnath. The Nath tradition states that it existed before Gorakhnath, but

2070-480: The word yogi ( Sanskrit : masc yogī , योगी ; fem yoginī ) is derived from yogin , which refers to a practitioner of yoga. Yogi is technically male, and yoginī is the term used for female practitioners. The two terms are still used with those meanings today, but the word yogi is also used generically to refer to both male and female practitioners of yoga and related meditative practices belonging to any religion or spiritual method. The term yogini

2116-492: Was one of nine saints, or Navnath , and is known in Maharashtra, India. Hagiographies describe him to be a person outside the laws of time who appeared on earth during different ages. Historians agree that Gorakhnath lived sometime during the first half of the 2nd millennium CE, but there is some disagreement about which century he lived. Estimates based on archaeological and textual evidence range from Briggs' estimate of

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