Ritika
The tradition of offering Khichdi in the Gorakhnath temple of Gorakhpur is centuries old. The fame of the Khichdi fair here is in the country and abroad. Temple secretary Dwarka Tiwari says that according to legend, in Treta Yuga, Avatar and Siddha Guru Gorakshanath went to the famous Jwala Devi temple in Kangra district of Himachal during Bhikshatan. The Goddess appeared and invited Guru Gorakshanath for a meal.
Seeing the corrupt food there, Gorakshanath said, I only accept rice and pulses obtained from begging. On this the goddess said that I heat water to cook rice and pulses. You bring rice and lentils by begging.
He told that Guru Gorakshanath came to Gorakhpur situated in the foothills of the Himalayas while begging from there. There he kept his inexhaustible begging bowl at a picturesque place at the confluence of the Rapti and Rohini rivers and got engrossed in meditation.
Meanwhile, the festival of Khichdi came, seeing a Tejasvi Yogi meditating, people started pouring rice and pulses into his begging bowl, but it was an indestructible bowl. That’s why he stopped filling. People were overwhelmed considering it as a miracle of Siddha Yogi. Since then, the tradition of offering Khichdi to Baba Gorakhnath is going on in Gorakhpur.
Khichdi fair runs for a month
Dwarka Tiwari says that starting from Makar Sankranti in the temple premises, the Khichdi fair lasts for about a month. Every Sunday and Tuesday falling during this period has its own significance. These days and there a large number of devotees come. Since it is one of the major religious events of North India.
