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Gorakhnath’s ‘Stolen’ Legacy: Lalu’s Cultural Counter to Hindutva Forward of Bihar Election

Soroor Ahmed

As Bihar gears up for the meeting election amidst widespread controversy over the Particular Intensive Overview (SIR) train undertaken by the Election Fee (EC), a brand new guide co-authored by former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and journalist Nalin Verma has not too long ago hit the stand. The guide – ‘Lores of Love and Saint Gorakhnath’ (Nalin Verma and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Penguin Random Home India, 2025) – is a well timed reminder of the composite Hindu-Muslim tradition, which is below assault now.

Whether or not in energy or out of it, Lalu has remained a robust determine within the anti-Sangh Parivar politics and beliefs for over 35 years. Outdated age has compelled him to create space for his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who’s carrying on his enduring legacy of social justice and secularism. However Lalu is a fighter, who by no means provides up, particularly when the rivals are communal forces.

‘Theft’ of Gorakhnath’s legacy

Whereas Lok Sabha chief of opposition Rahul Gandhi has launched an enormous motion in opposition to the EC for what he termed as “vote theft”, Lalu, in his guide has talked about one other type of “theft” – the appropriation of the legacy of Saint Gorakhnath by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the Mahant (priest) of the Gorakhnath shrine in Gorakhpur.

In line with the guide, Adityanath used his place because the mahant of the temple to climb up the ladder and change into the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Whereas Gandhi’s claims of electoral malpractice dominate headlines, Lalu’s revelation that Gorakhnath stood for inclusivity, coexistence, love, and a harmonious synthesis of Hindu and Muslim faiths has the potential to problem the Hindutva narrative that underpins Adityanath’s political dominance in Uttar Pradesh.

Each Bihar chief of opposition Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Get together chief Akhilesh Yadav – who’s Adityanath’s main rival in Uttar Pradesh – might discover a highly effective weapon in Lalu’s account of Gorakhnath’s true legacy.

Lores of Love and Saint Gorakhnath options folktales equivalent to Sorthi Brijbhar, Bharathari-Pingla, Heer Ranjha, and Saranga-Sadabrij, with Lalu solely authoring the introduction alongside Nalin Verma as co-author. The authors’ portrayal of Gorakhnath is grounded in analysis by historians and students of folklore and literature.

Here’s a abstract of the authors’ perspective: Gorakhnath, who lived within the eleventh century, based the Nath sect, a monastic order whose followers are often known as yogis, Gorakhnathis, Darshanis, or Kanphattas. Adityanath, typically referred to as “Yogi ji” claims affiliation with this order.

Gorakhnath’s legacy as soon as stood for composite tradition

Gorakhnath’s first disciple, Yogi Vardhanath, is claimed to have accompanied him to the positioning the place the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur was later established, giving the town its title. The temple, now sprawling over 52 acres, owes its current type to Mahanta Buddhanath (1708–1723). Historic accounts reveal that Asaf-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, donated land to Baba Roshan Ali, a fakir and devotee of Gorakhnath, within the 18th century.

This contribution revitalised the temple, including to its grandeur. The tomb of Roshan Ali, situated reverse the temple, stays a defining function of Gorakhpur’s cultural id. Gorakhpur serves because the cultural capital of Poorvanchal unfold over Deoria, Kushinagar, and Maharajganj districts in Uttar Pradesh, Gopalganj and Siwan districts in Bihar, and components of Nepal, the place the Gorkha neighborhood traces its roots to the Nath sect.

The temple was an emblem of composite tradition till the Nineteen Thirties, when Digvijaynath assumed its administration. In 1937 he grew to become the Gorakhpur chief of the Hindu Mahasabha which was led by V.D. Savarkar. Digvijaynath was arrested after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi however was subsequently launched. He broke custom by coming into electoral politics, profitable the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on the Mahasabha’s ticket in 1967. He handed away in 1969.

His successors, Avaidyanath and Adityanath, established themselves as champions of militant Hindutva within the area. Avaidyanath represented Gorakhpur within the Uttar Pradesh Meeting and Lok Sabha a number of occasions, whereas Adityanath, the present Mahant held the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat from 1998 to 2017 when he grew to become the chief minister.

Gorakhnath’s affect prolonged to inspiring love tales that at the moment are a part of India’s wealthy folklore. In Heer Ranjha, Ranjha, a Muslim, discovered solace as a disciple of Gorakhnath throughout his tumultuous love journey with Heer. Equally, in Sorthi-Brijbhar, Gorakhnath guided the protagonist Brijbhar in his quest for love. Gorakhnath additionally impressed King Bhartrihari to resign his needs for his consort Pingla and embrace the lifetime of a yogi.

Lalu’s revelations problem the Sangh Parivar’s narrative

Famous Hindi scholar Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, in his work Nath Sampradaya, highlights the widespread presence of Nath sect followers throughout India. In Punjab, they’re often known as rawals; in Bengal, as jugis or jogis; in Hyderabad, as darves; and in Konkan, as gosawis. They’re present in Awadh, Varanasi, Bhojpur, Magadh, Barar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.

These yogis sing ballads like Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla and Heer-Ranjha, in addition to bhajans of Kabir, Nanak, Raidas, Dadu, and Meera, alongside people songs for Lord Rama and Shiva-Parvati, accompanied by the sarangi. They maintain themselves by in search of alms, performing magic tips, providing natural treatments, studying palms, and telling fortunes.

The Nath sect rejects Brahmin supremacy, with followers deciding on gurus from communities of weavers, dyers, shepherds, and agriculturists. Gurus and disciples wander collectively, in search of alms. Dwivedi notes that marginalised teams from each Hindu and Muslim communities, typically disparaged by the priestly class, embraced the Nath sect throughout northern and southern India.

“Born in Phulwaria village within the erstwhile Saran district of Bihar, close to Gorakhpur, I grew up surrounded by yogis taking part in sarangis and singing these ballads. Over time, these tales grew to become a supply of sustenance for folklorists and folk-theatre artistes acting at weddings and spiritual gatherings. As Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990, I inspired folklorists to showcase these performances, a ardour I proceed to pursue every time time permits,” Lalu writes within the guide.

Lalu’s revelations within the guide serve a twin goal. For lovers of folklore, they provide a treasure trove of cultural narratives. For political strategists, they supply a pointy instrument to problem Adityanath and the Sangh Parivar’s narrative, notably in Uttar Pradesh.

[Soroor Ahmed is a Patna-based freelance journalist. Courtesy: The Wire, an Indian nonprofit news and opinion website. It was founded in 2015 by Siddharth Varadarajan, Sidharth Bhatia, and M. K. Venu.]

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An Introduction to Saint Gorakhnath and His Inclusive Legacy

Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nalin Verma

[An excerpt from the book, Lores of Love and Saint Gorakhnath (Nalin Verma and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Penguin Random House India, 2025.]

Saint Gorakhnath lived within the eleventh century, say most historians, littérateurs and students in folklore, although there isn’t a unanimity amongst them on his precise lifespan. He was the founding father of the Nath monastic order. His followers are often known as Yogis, Gorakhnathis, Darshanis or Kanphattas.

Gorakhnath has left behind an inclusive legacy. He lived in a time when the liberal Sufi and Bhakti traditions had been taking root in India. He had a following amongst each Hindus and Muslims. Bihar and japanese Uttar Pradesh nonetheless have many villages inhabited by Hindu in addition to Muslim Yogis.

Gorakhnath’s first disciple was stated to be Yogi Vardhanath. Gorakhnath had himself initiated Vardhanath into his order. It’s believed that Gorakhnath, a wanderer, accompanied by Vardhanath, visited the place the place the Gorakhnath Temple got here up and it got here to be often known as Gorakhpur later.

The credit score for the temple’s current type goes to Mahanta Buddhanath (1708–23). There was a small temple within the space the place Baba Buddhanath lived as its mahant, or priest. Historic accounts counsel that Asaf-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, donated over 52 acres of land to Baba Roshan Ali, a fakir and devotee of Gorakhnath, within the eighteenth century, which helped rejuvenate the temple and improve its glory and grandeur. The tomb of Roshan Ali, which stands reverse the temple, constitutes the id of Gorakhpur.

Gorakhpur is the cultural capital of Devaria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts in Uttar Pradesh, Gopalganj and Siwan districts in Bihar and people components of Nepal that border these areas in India. The Gorkha neighborhood of Nepal is claimed to have its origins within the sect of Gorakhnath.

The temple was an iconic centre of composite tradition until Digvijaynath took over its administration within the Nineteen Thirties. Digvijaynath grew to become the Gorakhpur chief of the Hindu Mahasabha when V.D. Savarkar grew to become its president in 1937. Savarkar was arrested in reference to the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. He was the primary mahant who entered electoral politics and gained the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on the Mahasabha’s ticket in 1967. He died in 1969.

Digvijaynath’s successors, Avaidyanath and Adityanath, emerged as symbols of militant Hindutva within the Gorakhpur area. Avaidyanath represented Gorakhpur within the Lucknow Meeting and the Lok Sabha a number of occasions. Adityanath, who additionally represented Gorakhpur within the Lok Sabha 5 occasions (1998–2014), is the current mahant and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

This guide doesn’t intention to profile the politics of the mahants. As an alternative, its goal is to protect and retell the tales of affection, lust and renunciation from an period formed by the steerage and affect of Saint Gorakhnath.

The story of Heer–Ranjha exemplifies this. Ranjha, the protagonist, endured immense struggling in his pursuit of Heer, who shared his unwavering ardour. Their tragic love story impressed poignant verses by the nineteenth-century poet Mirza Ghalib, that are nonetheless celebrated in mushairas throughout the Indian subcontinent. Rooted within the folklore of Punjab in India and in Pakistan, this story additionally captivated Bollywood, with Chetan Anand and Ketan Anand producing the 1970 movie Heer Ranjha, starring Raaj Kumar as Ranjha and Priya Rajvansh as Heer.

One other narrative, Sorthi-Brijbhar, follows Brijbhar, whose maternal uncle Khekharmal cruelly demanded Sorthi—Brijbhar’s beloved—as a bride for himself. Heartbroken however decided, Brijbhar launched into a treacherous journey below the steerage of Saint Gorakhnath, who in the end helped him reunite with Sorthi.

Saint Gorakhnath additionally influenced King Bhartrihari who, disillusioned by the infidelity of his spouse Pingla, renounced worldly attachments to change into an ascetic. Equally, the ballad of Saranga and Sadabrij, deeply ingrained within the folklore of the Bhojpuri-speaking areas of north India, bears Gorakhnath’s imprint. This dramatic story, full of magical components, tells of Sadabrij donning a hermit’s robes to win over Saranga.

Famous Hindi author Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, in his seminal work Nath Sampradaya, says that the followers of Gorakhnath or the Nath sect exist throughout the nation. They belong to the weavers’, shepherds’ and agricultural communities amongst Hindus and Muslims.

In Punjab, the Yogis are referred to as Rawals. In Bengal, they’re often known as jugis or jogis. The Awadh and Varanasi areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bhojpur and Magadh areas of Bihar have a number of villages of Yogis. They sing the ballads of Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla, Heer-Ranjha and Gopichand and likewise the bhajans of Kabir, Nanak, Raidas, Dadu and Meera. They sing the people songs of Lord Rama and Shiva-Parvati. They sing to the accompaniment of the sarangi and extol the virtuousness of Gorakhnath and his guru Matsyendranath.

They search alms, carry out magic tips, counsel natural cures, learn palms and inform fortunes to earn their livelihood. Like they’re referred to as Rawals in Punjab, the Gorakhnathis are often known as Darwes in Hyderabad and Gosawis within the Konkan. They’re present in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka too.

The Nath sect doesn’t settle for the supremacy of the Brahmins. The followers of the sect select their gurus from among the many communities of weavers, dyers, shepherds and agriculturists. The gurus and disciples wander for alms collectively. Dwivedi says that the individuals of the decrease strata of society in each the communities—Hindu and Muslim—who had been seemed down upon by the priestly class grew to become Yogis within the north in addition to south of the Vindhyas.

Rising up in Phulwaria village in Gopalganj district on the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh border within the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, I cherished these Yogis taking part in sarangis and singing the ballads of Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla and Saranga-Sadabrij. Through the years, these ballads grew to become a supply of sustenance for folklorists and people theatre artists, who carried out at marriage ceremony events and spiritual occasions.

I’m very obsessed with these tales. I acquired the folklorists to carry out after I grew to become the chief minister of Bihar in 1990. I nonetheless invite them to carry out after I discover time. I shared these tales with Nalin Verma, who has carried out intensive analysis to current these tales right here. I’m enormously grateful to him for writing these tales, which have been part of our tradition and our heritage.

In his guide Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis, George Weston Briggs put the variety of Yogis in India at 2,14,546 on the subject of the 1891 Census. Within the Agra and Awadh provinces, there have been 5319 Oghars, 28,816 Gorakhnathis and 78,387 Yogis. He additionally put as many as 83,137 Muslim Yogis in Punjab at the moment.

In line with the census held in 1921, there have been 6,29,978 Hindu Yogis, 31,158 Muslim Yogis and 1,41,132 Fakirs in each the communities.

Manoj Singh, a researcher in folklore and convenor of the Jan Sanskriti Manch, a sociocultural discussion board, travelled throughout many villages inhabited by the Muslim Yogis in japanese UP between 2007 and 2017. He wrote a analysis paper on his findings that was printed in The Wire on 27 March 2017.

Manoj’s work means that Gorakhnath had rebelled in opposition to the orthodoxy of his time and inducted the individuals seemed down upon by the highly effective priestly class into his order.

However Digvijaynath, Avaidyanath and now Adityanath have defiled Gorakhnath’s inclusive legacy.

Gorakhnath solid a robust affect on the saints Kabir, Dadu, Mulla Daud and Malik Mohammed Jaisi. Acharya Rajnish, often known as Osho, delivered a number of discourses on Gorakhvani, which can be found as books and audio recordings.

Osho recounts that when, the famous Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant requested him to choose twelve main spiritual figures of India. Osho named Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavir, Nagarjun, Shankar, Gorakhnath, Kabir, Nanak, Mira, Krishnamurti and Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Pant then requested him to chop the record all the way down to seven, then to 5 after which to 4. Osho picked the names of Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha and Gorakhnath. When Pant requested him to additional shorten the record and choose solely three, Osho refused. Why might he not pass over Gorakhnath, Pant requested. ‘I can not go away him out,’ Osho replied, ‘as a result of Gorakhnath opened up a brand new avenue and gave delivery to a brand new faith.

With out him, there can be no Kabir or Nanak. There can be neither Dadu nor Wajid, Farid or Mira. The complete Sufi custom of India is indebted to Gorakhnath. No person equals him in his teachings, which led to the invention of the inside soul.’

[Nalin Verma is a journalist, author and media educator. Lalu Prasad Yadav was chief minister of Bihar from 1990 to 1997 with a brief interruption in 1995 and the union minister for Railways from 2004 to 2009. Courtesy: The Wire, an Indian nonprofit news and opinion website. It was founded in 2015 by Siddharth Varadarajan, Sidharth Bhatia, and M. K. Venu.]