The name Gorakhnath derives from the medieval saint, Gorakshanath (c. 11th century CE), a yogi who travelled widely across India and authored a number of texts that form a part of the canon of Nath Sampradaya.

The Gorakhpur region comprises the districts of Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Deoria, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia and parts of Nepal Terai.

Gorakhpur remained an integral part of the erstwhile empires of the Maurya, Shunga, Kushan, Gupta and Harsha dynasties.

Thousands of devotees come to these temples on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, when they offer khichdi to Gorakhnath Baba.

The Gorakhnath Math has a significant following in eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Terai regions of Nepal, and also among wider circles across the Nath groups.

When exiting the gallery surrounding Gorakhnath temple, there are other rooms and portraits allocated for other Hindu deities.

Mahant Digvijay Nath joined the Congress in 1921 and was arrested for taking an "active part" in the Chauri Chaura incident, thereby putting a brake on Gandhi's non-cooperation movement.

After release, he spearheaded the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of 1949, organising a 9-day long recitation of Ramcharit Manas, at the end of which the idols of Rama and Sita were appeared inside the Babri Masjid.

The Babri Masjid was locked down as a result, but it led to Digvijay Nath's rise in the Hindu Mahasabha.

[6] The group has been involved in many religious activities, including the defence of Hindus in Mau riots[7] of October 2005 and in Gorakhpur[6] of January 2007.

In May 2015, the math organized special havans and kalash-yatra to pray for the victims of 2015 India-Nepal Earthquakes which killed close to 10,000 people.

[9] On 3 April 2022, a man named Ahmad Murtaza Abbasi was alleged to have tried to enter the temple premises forcibly and attacking police constables on duty.