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

Soroor Ahmed

As Bihar gears up for the assembly election amidst widespread controversy over the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise undertaken by the Election Commission (EC), a new book co-authored by former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and journalist Nalin Verma has recently hit the stand. The book – ‘Lores of Love and Saint Gorakhnath’ (Nalin Verma and Lalu Prasad Yadav, Penguin Random House India, 2025) – is a timely reminder of the composite Hindu-Muslim culture, which is under attack now.

Whether in power or out of it, Lalu has remained a powerful figure in the anti-Sangh Parivar politics and ideology for over 35 years. Old age has compelled him to make space for his son Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who is carrying on his enduring legacy of social justice and secularism. But Lalu is a fighter, who never gives up, especially when the rivals are communal forces.

‘Theft’ of Gorakhnath’s legacy

While Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi has launched a massive movement against the EC for what he termed as “vote theft”, Lalu, in his book has talked about another form 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.

According to the book, Adityanath used his position as the mahant of the temple to climb up the ladder and become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

While 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 challenge the Hindutva narrative that underpins Adityanath’s political dominance in Uttar Pradesh.

Both Bihar leader of opposition Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav – who is Adityanath’s primary rival in Uttar Pradesh – may find a powerful weapon in Lalu’s account of Gorakhnath’s true legacy.

Lores of Love and Saint Gorakhnath features folktales such as 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 research by historians and scholars of folklore and literature.

Here is a summary of the authors’ perspective: Gorakhnath, who lived in the 11th century, founded the Nath sect, a monastic order whose followers are known as yogis, Gorakhnathis, Darshanis, or Kanphattas. Adityanath, often called “Yogi ji” claims affiliation with this order.

Gorakhnath’s legacy once stood for composite culture

Gorakhnath’s first disciple, Yogi Vardhanath, is said to have accompanied him to the site where the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur was later established, giving the city its name. The temple, now sprawling over 52 acres, owes its present form to Mahanta Buddhanath (1708–1723). Historical accounts reveal that Asaf-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, donated land to Baba Roshan Ali, a fakir and devotee of Gorakhnath, in the 18th century.

This contribution revitalised the temple, adding to its grandeur. The tomb of Roshan Ali, located opposite the temple, remains a defining feature of Gorakhpur’s cultural identity. Gorakhpur serves as the cultural capital of Poorvanchal spread over Deoria, Kushinagar, and Maharajganj districts in Uttar Pradesh, Gopalganj and Siwan districts in Bihar, and parts of Nepal, where the Gorkha community traces its roots to the Nath sect.

The temple was a symbol of composite culture until the 1930s, when Digvijaynath assumed its management. In 1937 he became the Gorakhpur chief of the Hindu Mahasabha which was led by V.D. Savarkar. Digvijaynath was arrested after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was subsequently released. He broke tradition by entering electoral politics, winning the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on the Mahasabha’s ticket in 1967. He passed away in 1969.

His successors, Avaidyanath and Adityanath, established themselves as champions of militant Hindutva in the region. Avaidyanath represented Gorakhpur in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and Lok Sabha multiple times, while Adityanath, the current Mahant held the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat from 1998 to 2017 when he became the chief minister.

Gorakhnath’s influence extended to inspiring love stories that are now part of India’s rich folklore. In Heer Ranjha, Ranjha, a Muslim, found solace as a disciple of Gorakhnath during his tumultuous love journey with Heer. Similarly, in Sorthi-Brijbhar, Gorakhnath guided the protagonist Brijbhar in his quest for love. Gorakhnath also inspired King Bhartrihari to renounce his desires for his consort Pingla and embrace the life of a yogi.

Lalu’s revelations challenge the Sangh Parivar’s narrative

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

These yogis sing ballads like Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla and Heer-Ranjha, as well as bhajans of Kabir, Nanak, Raidas, Dadu, and Meera, alongside folk songs for Lord Rama and Shiva-Parvati, accompanied by the sarangi. They sustain themselves by seeking alms, performing magic tricks, offering herbal remedies, reading palms, and telling fortunes.

The Nath sect rejects Brahmin supremacy, with followers selecting gurus from communities of weavers, dyers, shepherds, and agriculturists. Gurus and disciples wander together, seeking alms. Dwivedi notes that marginalised groups from both Hindu and Muslim communities, often disparaged by the priestly class, embraced the Nath sect across northern and southern India.

“Born in Phulwaria village in the erstwhile Saran district of Bihar, near Gorakhpur, I grew up surrounded by yogis playing sarangis and singing these ballads. Over time, these stories became a source of sustenance for folklorists and folk-theatre artistes performing at weddings and religious gatherings. As Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990, I encouraged folklorists to showcase these performances, a passion I continue to pursue whenever time permits,” Lalu writes in the book.

Lalu’s revelations in the book serve a dual purpose. For lovers of folklore, they offer a treasure trove of cultural narratives. For political strategists, they provide a sharp tool to challenge Adityanath and the Sangh Parivar’s narrative, particularly 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 in the eleventh century, say most historians, littérateurs and scholars in folklore, though there is no unanimity among them on his exact lifespan. He was the founder of the Nath monastic order. His followers are 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 were taking root in India. He had a following among both Hindus and Muslims. Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh still have many villages inhabited by Hindu as well as Muslim Yogis.

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

The credit for the temple’s present form goes to Mahanta Buddhanath (1708–23). There was a small temple in the area where Baba Buddhanath lived as its mahant, or priest. Historical accounts suggest that Asaf-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Awadh, donated over 52 acres of land to Baba Roshan Ali, a fakir and devotee of Gorakhnath, in the eighteenth century, which helped rejuvenate the temple and enhance its glory and grandeur. The tomb of Roshan Ali, which stands opposite the temple, constitutes the identity of Gorakhpur.

Gorakhpur is the cultural capital of Devaria, Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts in Uttar Pradesh, Gopalganj and Siwan districts in Bihar and those parts of Nepal that border these areas in India. The Gorkha community of Nepal is said to have its origins in the sect of Gorakhnath.

The temple was an iconic centre of composite culture till Digvijaynath took over its management in the 1930s. Digvijaynath became the Gorakhpur chief of the Hindu Mahasabha when V.D. Savarkar became its president in 1937. Savarkar was arrested in connection with the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case. He was the first mahant who entered electoral politics and won 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 in the Gorakhpur region. Avaidyanath represented Gorakhpur in the Lucknow Assembly and the Lok Sabha several times. Adityanath, who also represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha five times (1998–2014), is the present mahant and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

This book does not aim to profile the politics of the mahants. Instead, its purpose is to preserve and retell the stories of love, lust and renunciation from an era shaped by the guidance and influence of Saint Gorakhnath.

The tale of Heer–Ranjha exemplifies this. Ranjha, the protagonist, endured immense suffering in his pursuit of Heer, who shared his unwavering passion. Their tragic love story inspired poignant verses by the nineteenth-century poet Mirza Ghalib, which are still celebrated in mushairas across the Indian subcontinent. Rooted in the folklore of Punjab in India and in Pakistan, this tale also captivated Bollywood, with Chetan Anand and Ketan Anand producing the 1970 film Heer Ranjha, starring Raaj Kumar as Ranjha and Priya Rajvansh as Heer.

Another narrative, Sorthi-Brijbhar, follows Brijbhar, whose maternal uncle Khekharmal cruelly demanded Sorthi—Brijbhar’s beloved—as a bride for himself. Heartbroken but determined, Brijbhar embarked on a treacherous journey under the guidance of Saint Gorakhnath, who ultimately helped him reunite with Sorthi.

Saint Gorakhnath also influenced King Bhartrihari who, disillusioned by the infidelity of his wife Pingla, renounced worldly attachments to become an ascetic. Similarly, the ballad of Saranga and Sadabrij, deeply ingrained in the folklore of the Bhojpuri-speaking regions of north India, bears Gorakhnath’s imprint. This dramatic tale, filled with magical elements, tells of Sadabrij donning a hermit’s robes to win over Saranga.

Noted Hindi writer Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, in his seminal work Nath Sampradaya, says that the followers of Gorakhnath or the Nath sect exist across the country. They belong to the weavers’, shepherds’ and agricultural communities among Hindus and Muslims.

In Punjab, the Yogis are called Rawals. In Bengal, they are known as jugis or jogis. The Awadh and Varanasi regions of Uttar Pradesh and Bhojpur and Magadh regions of Bihar have several villages of Yogis. They sing the ballads of Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla, Heer-Ranjha and Gopichand and also the bhajans of Kabir, Nanak, Raidas, Dadu and Meera. They sing the folk 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 seek alms, perform magic tricks, suggest herbal cures, read palms and tell fortunes to earn their livelihood. Like they are called Rawals in Punjab, the Gorakhnathis are known as Darwes in Hyderabad and Gosawis in the Konkan. They are found in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka too.

The Nath sect doesn’t accept the supremacy of the Brahmins. The followers of the sect choose their gurus from among the communities of weavers, dyers, shepherds and agriculturists. The gurus and disciples wander for alms together. Dwivedi says that the people of the lower strata of society in both the communities—Hindu and Muslim—who were looked down upon by the priestly class became Yogis in the north as well as south of the Vindhyas.

Growing up in Phulwaria village in Gopalganj district on the Bihar–Uttar Pradesh border in the 1950s and 1960s, I loved these Yogis playing sarangis and singing the ballads of Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bhartrihari-Pingla and Saranga-Sadabrij. Over the years, these ballads became a source of sustenance for folklorists and folk theatre artists, who performed at wedding parties and religious events.

I am very passionate about these stories. I got the folklorists to perform when I became the chief minister of Bihar in 1990. I still invite them to perform when I find time. I shared these stories with Nalin Verma, who has carried out extensive research to present these stories here. I am greatly thankful to him for writing these stories, which have been a part of our culture and our heritage.

In his book Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis, George Weston Briggs put the number of Yogis in India at 2,14,546 with reference to the 1891 Census. In the Agra and Awadh provinces, there were 5319 Oghars, 28,816 Gorakhnathis and 78,387 Yogis. He also put as many as 83,137 Muslim Yogis in Punjab at that time.

According to the census held in 1921, there were 6,29,978 Hindu Yogis, 31,158 Muslim Yogis and 1,41,132 Fakirs in both the communities.

Manoj Singh, a researcher in folklore and convenor of the Jan Sanskriti Manch, a sociocultural forum, travelled across many villages inhabited by the Muslim Yogis in eastern UP between 2007 and 2017. He wrote a research paper on his findings that was published in The Wire on 27 March 2017.

Manoj’s work suggests that Gorakhnath had rebelled against the orthodoxy of his time and inducted the people looked down upon by the powerful priestly class into his order.

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

Gorakhnath cast a strong influence on the saints Kabir, Dadu, Mulla Daud and Malik Mohammed Jaisi. Acharya Rajnish, known as Osho, delivered several discourses on Gorakhvani, which are available as books and audio recordings.

Osho recounts that once, the noted Hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant asked him to pick twelve major religious figures of India. Osho named Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavir, Nagarjun, Shankar, Gorakhnath, Kabir, Nanak, Mira, Krishnamurti and Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Pant then asked him to cut the list down to seven, then to five and then to four. Osho picked the names of Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha and Gorakhnath. When Pant asked him to further shorten the list and pick only three, Osho refused. Why could he not leave out Gorakhnath, Pant asked. ‘I cannot leave him out,’ Osho replied, ‘because Gorakhnath opened up a new avenue and gave birth to a new religion.

Without him, there would be no Kabir or Nanak. There would be neither Dadu nor Wajid, Farid or Mira. The entire Sufi tradition of India is indebted to Gorakhnath. Nobody equals him in his teachings, which led to the discovery of the inner 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.]