At a glance
- Born at Dadrewa (Churu); father Jewar Chauhan, mother Bachhal.
- Linked with guru Gorakhnath; the RBSE book makes him a contemporary of Gorakhnath and Mahmud Ghazni.
- Dadrewa, his birthplace, is called Shirsh Medi; his samadhi, Gogamedi (Nohar, Hanumangarh), is called Dhur Medi.
- Goga Navami: Bhadrapad Krishna Navami; the Gogamedi fair runs about a month in Bhadrapad.
- Called Jahar Pir; Hindus worship him as Nagraj and Muslims as Goga Pir; believed to make snake venom harmless.
- His thans, a stone carved with a snake, stand mostly under khejri trees in villages.
- One of the Panch Pir.
Facts
| Born at | Dadrewa, Churu (Shirsh Medi) |
|---|---|
| Parents | Jewar (Jewar Singh) Chauhan and Bachhal |
| Wife | Kelamde (Art and Culture Department) |
| Guru | Gorakhnath |
| Samadhi | Gogamedi (Dhur Medi), Nohar tehsil, Hanumangarh |
| Fair | Goga Navami, Bhadrapad Krishna Navami; the Gogamedi fair runs about a month in Bhadrapad |
| Community | Chauhan Rajput; revered by Hindus and Muslims |
| Mount and symbol | Blue horse; snake; horseman holding a spear |
| Known as | Jahar Pir, Jaharveer, Goga Pir, Nagraj; snake deity |
Life and legend
The RBSE book makes Gogaji a contemporary of Gorakhnath and Mahmud Ghazni. He had a property dispute with his cousins Arjan and Surjan, who brought a Muslim army and surrounded his cows; in the fierce battle Gogaji fell along with Arjan and Surjan.
The Art and Culture Department records another tradition: born in Vikram Samvat 1003, he refused Mahmud Ghazni's army passage to Somnath and fell fighting it in old age, in Vikram Samvat 1081 (1024 CE). Treat both as traditions.
His birthplace Dadrewa is called Shirsh Medi and his samadhi Dhur Medi (Gogamedi).
Worship and fair
- Goga Navami (Bhadrapad Krishna Navami) is celebrated at Gogamedi and across Rajasthan; the Gogamedi fair lasts about a month in Bhadrapad and draws devotees from Punjab and Haryana too.
- Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner had the Gogamedi temple renovated on 26 June 1911 (Devasthan Department).
- In the sanctum Chayal Muslims stand by one lamp and Brahmins by another; the Art and Culture Department calls the Chayal Muslims its priests.
- Worship as a horseman with a spear or as a snake; villages keep his snake-carved stone, usually under a khejri tree.
Remember: often mixed up
- Dadrewa (Churu)birthplace, Shirsh Medi. Gogamedi (Hanumangarh): samadhi, Dhur Medi, and the fair.
- Gogaji (Bhadrapad Krishna Navami) and Tejaji (Bhadrapad Shukla Dashami) are both snake deities; their dates differ.
- Gogaji is one of the Panch Pir; Tejaji is not.
- Gogaji's guru is Gorakhnath; Ramdevji's and Harbhuji's is Balinath.
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