Gorakhpur lies on the north eastern side of Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal on its northern side. It is a proposed capital of yet to be formed Purvanchal state. It is named after the saint Gorakhnath of Middle Ages. The world’s largest publisher of Hindu religious books ‘The Gita Press’ is located here in Garakhpur. According to Vedic writings the earliest ruler of the land was Iksvaku whose capital was at Ayadhoya. The great King Chandra Gupta Maurya belonged to this land. Lord Gautam Buddha renounced his royal status and set out for meditation from a spot at the confluence of Rivers Rapti and Rohini near here. The town finds its mention in the epic Mahabharata when Bhima visits Gorakhpur to request saint Gorakhnath to be present at his Rajsurya Yagna.

 The appearance of Bhagavan Mahavir (the 24^Th Tirthankara of Jainism) was at a place near here and his mahaparivan was witnessed at pava 15 Kms away from Kushinagar. Saint Kabir the spiritualist poet and saint was from village Maghar, a place 20 Kms. From Gorakhpur. People still throng his burial place to pay their respects to the saint. From 1803 Gorakhpur came under the British rule. It was a vibrating center during the freedom struggle of India. It was at the forefront of 1857 uprising. Later during freedom struggle Gorakhpur was always in action. The chauri Chaura incidence took place in Gorakhpur where 19 policemen were killed by the freedom fighter activists. Mahatma Gandhi severely aggrieved at the situation called off his Non-Cooperation movement. After announcement of Quit India Movement Jawaharlal Nehru was imprisoned here in Doharia Kala in Sahjanwal Teshil. Nine people died when an unprovoked firing was opened on the protest rally organized against Nehru’s arrest. Ram Prasad Bismil a daring freedom fighter was accused of Kakori massacre plot and was hanged in Gorakhpur district jail here.