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Introduction

The pleasing, soothing, loving ambiance of the picaresque city of Gorakhpur cannot be expressed in mere words, ones experience can only give it a full justice. The city is saturated with culture and is famous as a religious center. The city is a home to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and is colored with people of every religion

living in peace and harmony. One will be taken away by the beautiful people and the impressive tradition that they continue to practice on a regular basis. We can find people of different states settled in Gorakhpur-one can find Biharis, Bengalis, Marwaris and Punjabis settled here and adding charisma to the rich culture of the place. The serenity, warmth, and the rich culture of the city make it a sensational place.

The most important feature of Gorakhpurs rich culture is its tradition of folk-songs and folk-dances .One can find songs related to every occasion, which are traditional as well as enchanting in themselves. The songs are preserved in its original form and is passed

generation after generation. These songs are usually sung in groups ,particularly during rainy season between agricultural operations and on winter nights when people gather together to fill up time. Each important occasion has song of its own, be it the sowing of seeds in

the fields, different festivals like Diwali, Holi, Teej, Chatth, or marriage ceremony or on the birth of a child. The Kaharwa is sung at Deepawali, the Allha and the kajari during rainy and winter nights,

and the phaag during Holi. Songs are normally accompanied by instruments such as harmonium, dholak, bansuri and manjira. The songs and dances are mostly performed in group and this enhances the bonding of the people despite of all caste and creed.

The city has a rich culture in cuisine. Traditional cuisine include platters of Galawati and Kakori kabos in Oudh, Rampuri fish and

meat. Wheat, rice, gram, maize and pulses along with curd, milk, vegetables, ghee and oils, constitute the items of daily food, rice being the staple food of the people. Coarse grains like jowar, makka, bajra, barley, kodon, and sawan form the staple diet of the poor. Among villagers, sattu, flour of parched gram and barley mixes mixed, and chabena (parched grain) are quite popular. Finely ground sattu is used in the towns also. People generally eat two meals per day, one at around midday and another in the evening. Roti, chapati or rice is eaten with a bowl of pulses or with cooked vegetables, pickles, curd, or only salt jaggery or onion. Tea is a common drink while milk is gradually becoming rare. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are used.

The city is famous for its terracotta products which are made on large scale and traded all over the country. In Gorakhpur wood carvers chisel on local doors and sills perfecting their craft and keeping the buildings as well as local homes restored. Women in Gorakhpur use knitting and embroidery to past time and also make pickles, masalas, jam and jellies probably for home consumption. The daily culture and life in Gorakhpur is calm and diligent. There are images of Gods and

Goddesses made from stone blocks that adorn every temple and shrine in Gorakhpur because it is a city rich in religious culture.

Gorakhpur has in it people of all communities, caste and creed living together with brotherhood and harmony. People from different states have migrated to it and have settled here. The name of the places in the district reflect that how warm heartedly the city has embraced every religion and community. Where we find places like Alinagar ,likewise places named Calcutta colony exist, also we can find places with dual name, like Hindi bazaar which is also called Urdu bazaar, persisting at the same time. We can also find Biharis, Bengalis, Punjabis, Marwaris, Jains, living in different locale of the district. This adds to the rich culture of the district which consists in itself wide variety of people living together, celebrating together each feast of life.

People in the city celebrate each festival with full enthusiasm and zeal. Festivals like Holi, Deepawali, Eid , Bakar eid, Christmas, Navratri, Dusshera are celebrated largely among the people of the city. People here are highly religious, where Hindus pay regular visit to Gorakhnath temple ,Vishnu mandir, Kali mandir ,Muslim pay their tribute at Imambarah ,Bari maszid, Sikhs have gurudwaras, Christians have many big and small churches. The Hindus conduct the feast of Navratri by keeping fast, Holi, Deepawali, eid and Christmas are celebrated will great zeal among the people of every community here. Bengalis worship on Dusshera in Durgawari, Loco field and N.E. Railway school, the muslims bring out big and facinating tazias on

Moharam , carols are sung from home to home among the Christians on the eve of Christmas. This makes the place and environment of the city very healthy and colorful.

The normal dress at home of the men is kurta, dhoti or pyjamas.When going out they generally put on trousers with coat, shirt, etc. which has become the dress of working class. On formal occasions men wear sherwani or ashcan and churidar. In village men still wear turbans. Women mainly wear sari and blouse or choli and salwar, kurta and dupatta are also in vogue. The use of lahnga still persists among the women of the villages and are usually worn on occasions. Women usually cover their head with dupatta maintained, though not very strickly. Gold or sari and purdah is and silver jewellery is

worn according to means and taste. Costume jewellery is also popular now in all communities. Bunda and jhumki (ear ring), kara for hand and feet both, lachcha, payal (anklets), kheel and nath (nose-stud and nose-ring),kardhani (gold or silver waist band), anguthi (ring) are commonly worn. Silver bichiya i.e. toe-ring is a must for every married Hindu women.

Where multiplexes, cinema halls provide entertainment to the people of Gorakhpur, documentaries and mobile cinema cater for the rural areas of the district. Dramatic societies and circus also visit the district. Nautanki (open air dramatic performances), Dangal (wrestling), bhajan, satsang, qawwali programs, and mushaira are

arranged at different places from time to time. Ramlila and Krishnalila

provide alternative entertainment. Huge arrangements are done to conduct bharat milap in the process of the Ramlila. People attend in huge gathering on all these occasions. Fairs are conducted on such events which adds to the picaresque view of the place. The famous Gorakhnath mela also attracts thousands of people each year from all the communities, be it rich or poor. The fair is conducted on the occasion of Makarshankranti and last for a month. A huge fair is conducted which not only is visited by its local people but also is visited by people across the country.

The Gorakhnath temple is the center of all socio-cultural activities of Gorakhpur. It can be seen as the heart of the district. People go to worship here on each and every occasion and festival. They also conduct here special occasion of mundan, engagements, marriages and other family ceremonies taking the blessing of God. Though it is a Hindu temple, it is not only adorned by Hindus but also Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and people of every community come and pray here without any difference. Here lies the greatness of the city, its people and the high and great culture of the place. This kind of integrity is one of an example in itself in this age of violence and religious misunderstanding. The mazaar of Nakko baba is also one of its kind, where Muslims as well as Hindus pay their tribute with same devotion and in the same religious way. All these makes the city

unique, great in itself and adds to the rich culture of the place.

The city of Gorakhpur has left an indelible mark on the religious

history of the world. The city has close ties with two major world religions: Buddhism and Hinduism. It is also associated with Jain and Sikh religion. Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, renounced his princely costumes at the confluence of rivers Rapti & Rohini and proceeded further in the quest of truth in 600 BCE. It is also associated with Lord Mahavira, 24th tirthankar, founder of Jainism.

The next event of importance was the association of Gorakhpur with Gorakhnath. The date and place of his birth have not yet been settled, but it was probably lived in the twelfth century. His samadhi at Gorakhpur attracts a large number of pilgrims every year. The most significant event in the medieval period, however, was the coming of mystic poet and famous saint Kabir to Maghar. Born in Varanasi, his workplace was Maghar where most of his beautiful poems were composed. It was here that he gave the message to his countrymen to live in peace and religious harmony. The co-existence of 'Samadhi' and 'Makbara' at his burial place in Maghar attracts a large number of followers.

All these factors make this place a hub of culture and religion. The city has an ancient culture of its own which is humbly followed by its people generation after generation. In past years it has included in itself open armed many new cultures coming from different believes and part of the country. But that has never taken away or hampered any of the traditional and age old ancient fascinating culture of the

place. Gorakhpur stands proudly with its high ,rich and magnificent cultural heritage.

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