Gorakshanath (also known as Gorakhnath) was an 11th century Nath yogi and one of the two most important disciples of Matsyendranath, the other being Caurangi. The Nath tradition underwent its greatest expansion in his time. He produced a number of writings and even today is considered the greatest of the Naths.
It was Gorakshanath who wrote the first books on Laya Yoga. In India there are many caves, many with temples built over them, where it is said that he spent time in meditation.
Within the International Nath Order he is honored as that historical master, not as the guru of the present seat. He eclipsed Matsyendranath in many later branches. He wrote the first Natha texts and the verse on Adesh that Mahendranath still quotes. He is also credited with early Laya Yoga and, by some, with Hatha Yoga. Mahendranath warned that the “raising” of Kundalini-Shakti has since been much misunderstood. Gorakshanath never became a god. The INO line does not run as a Gorakhnath panth. It runs through Dattatreya, the Adinath diksha of Shri Sadguru Lokanath, and Shri Gurudev Mahendranath. The names of that line are on the Lineage page.