Braj
Braj | |
|---|---|
    top to bottom: Krishna Janmasthan at Mathura, Radha Rani Temple at Barsana, Prem Mandir at Vrindavan and Kusum Sarovar at Govardhan Hill. | |
| Country |  India |
| Region | Northern India |
| Proposed capitals | Mathura, Agra |
| Proposed Districts | |
| Language | Braj Bhasha dialect of Hindi |
Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana state, Bharatpur district in Rajasthan state and Morena District in Madhya Pradesh.[1] Within Uttar Pradesh it is very well demarcated culturally, the area stretches from the Mathura, Aligarh, Agra, Hathras and districts up to the Farrukhabad, Mainpuri and Etah districts.[2] Braj region is associated with Radha and Krishna who according to scriptures were born in Barsana and Mathura respectively.[3][4] It is the main centre of Krishna circuit of Hindu pilgrimage.[1]
It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 50 km northwest of Agra.[1]
Etymology
The term Braj is derived from the Sanskrit word vraja (व्रज).[4][5] Vraja was first mentioned in Rigveda, and in Sanskrit it means a pasture, shelter or resort for cattle from Sanskrit term "vraj" which means "go" in English.
Braj pilgrimage circuits
Since this is a site associated with the Vedic era Lord Krishna and Mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to Krishna circuit, namely 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra in Haryana state, Vraja Parikrama in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh state and Dwarka Parikrama (Dwarkadish yatra) at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat state.
Braj Yatra circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th-century sadhus of vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The circuit covers is spread across 2500 km2 area with 84 kos or 300 km long periphery extending 10 km to east and 50 km to 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.[1]
See also
- Regional
- Braj language
- Vajji, the ancient region of the Vṛji janapada that Bajjika evolved from
- Religious
- Vedic era
- General
References
- ^ a b c d Janet Cochrane, 2008, Asian Tourism: Growth and Change, page 249.
- ^ Lucia Michelutti (2002). "Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town" (PDF). PhD Thesis Social Anthropology. London School of Economics and Political Science University of London. p. 49. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ Lynch, Owen M. (31 December 1990), "ONE. The Social Construction of Emotion in India", Divine Passions, University of California Press, pp. 3–34, doi:10.1525/9780520309753-002, ISBN 978-0-520-30975-3
- ^ a b Lucia Michelutti (2002). "Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town" (PDF). PhD Thesis Social Anthropology. London School of Economics and Political Science University of London. p. 46. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
- ^ Prasad, Dev (2015). Krishna: A Journey through the Lands & Legends of Krishna. Jaico Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-8495-170-7.
Further reading
- Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader. Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.
