Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura district-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in Haryana state, Deeg district, Bharatpur, karauli district, and Dholpur district in Rajasthan state and Morena District in Madhya Pradesh.[Janet Cochrane, 2008, Asian Tourism: Growth and Change, page 249.] Within Uttar Pradesh, it is very well demarcated culturally, the area stretches from the Mathura district, Aligarh, Agra district, Hathras district and districts up to the Etah district district. Braj region is associated with Radha and Krishna who according to scriptures were born in Barsana and Mathura respectively.[ It is the main centre of Krishna circuit of Hindu pilgrimage.][
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It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 50 km northwest of Agra.[
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Ecologically, the character of Braj has drastically changed in the last 200 years, with a heavy decline in the number of wild animals along with deforestation. Writing in the late 1980s, Entwistle noted there were only a few groves left in the region, and that many sacred sites were being encroached upon by human agricultural settlements.
Etymology
The term Braj is derived from the
Sanskrit word व्रज
vraja.
Vraja was first mentioned in
Rigveda, and in
Sanskrit it means a
goshala from the Sanskrit term
"vraj" which means "to go" in English.
Braj pilgrimage circuits
The
Vraja Parikrama circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th-century
of the vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The area the circuit covers is spread across 2500 km
2 with 84 kos or 300 km long periphery extending 10 km to the east and 50 km to the north and west. Braj has two main types of pilgrimage circuits, the traditional longer
Braj Yatra encompassing the whole circuit, and the other shorter significantly modified contemporary point-to-point pilgrimage to visit the main sites at Mathura, Vrindavan,
Gokul,
Govardhan. The former, longer traditional pilgrimage route, also includes additional sacred sites Nandgaon and
Barsana with travel on foot.
[
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Notable pilgrimage sites
Notable pilgrimage sites taken from Entwistle (1987).
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Mathura (Mathurā)
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Vishram Ghat (Viśrām Ghāṭ)
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Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex (Kr̥ṣṇa Janmasthān)
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Kans Quila (Kans Kilā)
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Dwarkadhish Temple, Mathura (Dvārkādhīś Temple)
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Madhu Forest (Madhuban)
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Radha Kund (Rādhākuṇḍ)
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Raval, Uttar Pradesh, Radha birthplace
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Kusum Sarovar
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Govardhan Hill
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Bachhgaon (Bacchagā̃v)
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Deeg (Ḍīg)
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Kaman, Rajasthan (Kāmā̃)
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Barsana (Barsānā)
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Nandgaon, Uttar Pradesh (Nandgā̃v)
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Kamai, Uttar Pradesh (Kamāī)
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Chhata (Chātā)
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Kokilavan (Kokilāban)
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Kosi Kalan (Kosī)
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Paigaon (Paigā̃v)
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Shergarh, Uttar Pradesh (Śergaṛh)
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Bhandirvan, Vrindavan (Bhāṇḍīrvan)
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Vrindavan (Vr̥ndāvana)
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Radha Madan Mohan Temple (Rādhā Madanmohan)
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Banke Bihari Temple (Bā̃ke Bihārī)
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Radha Vallabh Temple (Rādhāvallabh)
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Radha Damodar Temple (Rādhādāmodar)
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Nidhivan
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Radha Raman Temple (Rādhāramaṇ)
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Baldeo (Baldev)
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Mahaban (Mahāban)
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Gokul
Brij Mahotsav is a festival that is celebrated for three days in Paksha of Phalgun. It is celebrated in the month of March. Held in honour of Lord Krishna, this festival is marked by verve and zest. Villagers, in gay, multicoloured attire, can be seen singing and performing the Raslila dance (dance depicting the immortal love-story of Radha and Krishna). All of Bharatpur echoes the sound of folk melodies on this festival held on the eve of Holi.
Demographics
Hindus form the majority of residents of the Braj region. The major Brahmin castes include the Sanadhya Brahmin, Gaur Brahmins, Chaube, and Ahiwasi. Among the cultivating and pastoral castes, there are the Yadav, Jats, Jadauns, Rajput, Gujars, Meos, and Chamar. The main merchant castes are Agrawal, Khandelwals, Maheshwari, and Varshney. Muslims form a small minority, with nearly negligible presence of Jains, Sikhs, and Christians.
Braj culinary tradition
Braj region is known for its rich and flavorful culinary tradition. The twin cities, Mathura and Vrindavan, which are associated with Shri Krishna are main centers of Braj Cuisine.
See also
- Regional
- Religious
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48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra
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Dwarka
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Hindu pilgrimage sites in India
- Vedic era
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King Kuru
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Cemetery H culture
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Painted Grey Ware culture
- General
Further reading
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Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader. Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.