Braj

{{Merge from|Brij Mahotsav|discuss=Talk:Braj#Proposed merge of Brij Mahotsav into Braj|date=June 2025}}

{{Infobox region

| name = Braj

| type = Region

| image_skyline = {{Photomontage |border=0 |size=250 |spacing=2 |color=none | photo1a = Radha Krishna 20.jpg |photo2a= Mathura Temple-Mathura-India0002.JPG |photo3a=Chhatris of Barsana 03.jpg |photo4a =A Hindu temple Prem Mandir Love temple sights culture India.jpg | photo5a = Kusuma Sarovar Ghat.jpg}}

| image_caption = top to bottom: Radha Krishna at Kirti Temple, Barsana,

Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, Radha Rani Temple in Barsana, Prem Mandir in Vrindavan and Kusum Sarovar in Govardhan Hill.

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}

| subdivision_type2 = Region

| subdivision_name2 = Northern India

| blank_name_sec1 = Language

| blank_info_sec1 = Braj Bhasha

}}

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-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in Haryana state, Deeg, Bharatpur, Karauli, and Dholpur in Rajasthan state and Morena District in Madhya Pradesh.Janet Cochrane, 2008, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LC4c7i3WrPgC&dq=Braj+region+covers+haryana+and+rajasthan&pg=PA249 Asian Tourism: Growth and Change], page 249. Within Uttar Pradesh, it is very well demarcated culturally, the area stretches from the Mathura, Aligarh, Agra, Hathras and districts up to the Etah district.{{cite web | url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2106/1/U613338.pdf | title=Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town | publisher=London School of Economics and Political Science University of London | work=PhD Thesis Social Anthropology | date=2002 | access-date=20 May 2015 | author=Lucia Michelutti | pages=49}} Braj region is associated with Radha and Krishna who according to scriptures were born in Barsana and Mathura respectively.{{Citation|title=ONE. The Social Construction of Emotion in India|date=1990-12-31|work=Divine Passions|pages=3–34|publisher=University of California Press|doi=10.1525/9780520309753-002|isbn=978-0-520-30975-3|last1=Lynch |first1=Owen M. }} It is the main centre of Krishna circuit of Hindu pilgrimage.

It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 50 km northwest of Agra.

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.{{Sfn|Entwistle|1987|p=2-3}}

Etymology

The term Braj is derived from the Sanskrit word व्रज vraja.{{cite web | url=http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2106/1/U613338.pdf | title=Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town | publisher=London School of Economics and Political Science University of London | work=PhD Thesis Social Anthropology | date=2002 | access-date=20 May 2015 | author=Lucia Michelutti | pages=46}}{{cite book|last=Prasad|first=Dev|title=Krishna: A Journey through the Lands & Legends of Krishna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o0_5caqiUH0C&pg=PT16|year=2015|publisher=Jaico Publishing House|isbn=978-81-8495-170-7}} Vraja was first mentioned in Rigveda, and in Sanskrit it means a pasture, shelter or resort for cattle from the Sanskrit term "{{lang|sa-Latn|vraj}}" which means "to go" in English.

Braj pilgrimage circuits

{{see | 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra | Dwarka | Hindu pilgrimage sites in India }}

The Braj Yatra circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th-century sadhus of the vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The area the circuit covers is spread across 2500 km² 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.

= Notable pilgrimage sites =

Notable pilgrimage sites taken from Entwistle (1987).{{Cite book |last=Entwistle |first=Alan William |title=Braj: A Center of Krishna Pilgrimage |publisher=Egbert Forsten |year=1987 |pages=309–429, 521-552|chapter=The Pilgrimage Itinerary}}

Mathura (Mathurā)
Vishram Ghat (Viśrām Ghāṭ)
Krishna Janmasthan Temple Complex (Kr̥ṣṇa Janmasthān)
Kans Quila (Kans Kilā)
Dwarkadhish Temple, Mathura (Dvārkādhīś Temple)
Madhu Forest (Madhuban)
Radha Kund (Rādhākuṇḍ)
Kusum Sarovar
Govardhan Hill
Bachhgaon (Bacchagā̃v)
Deeg (Ḍīg)
Kaman, Rajasthan (Kāmā̃)
Barsana (Barsānā)
Nandgaon, Uttar Pradesh (Nandgā̃v)
Kamai, Uttar Pradesh (Kamāī)
Chhata (Chātā)
Kokilavan (Kokilāban)
Kosi Kalan (Kosī)
Paigaon (Paigā̃v)
Shergarh, Uttar Pradesh (Śergaṛh)
Bhandirvan, Vrindavan (Bhāṇḍīrvan)
Vrindavan (Vr̥ndāvana)
Radha Madan Mohan Temple (Rādhā Madanmohan)
Banke Bihari Temple (Bā̃ke Bihārī)
Radha Vallabh Temple (Rādhāvallabh)
Radha Damodar Temple (Rādhādāmodar)
Nidhivan
Radha Raman Temple (Rādhāramaṇ)
Baldeo (Baldev)
Mahaban (Mahāban)
Gokul

Demographics

Hindus form the majority of residents of the Braj region. The major Brahmin castes include the Sanadhyas, Gaurs, Chaubes, and Ahiwasis. Among the cultivating and pastoral castes, there are the Yadavs,{{Cite book |last1=Palshikar |first1=Suhas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ONcNDgAAQBAJ&dq=Braj+area+%28Doab+Yadavs&pg=PT62 |title=Electoral Politics in India: The Resurgence of the Bharatiya Janata Party |last2=Kumar |first2=Sanjay |last3=Lodha |first3=Sanjay |date=2017-02-03 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-351-99691-4 |language=en}} Jats, Jadauns, Rajputs, Gujars, Meos, and Chamars. The main merchant castes are Agrawals, Khandelwals, Maheshwaris, and Barahsainis. Muslims form a small minority, with nearly negligible presence of Jains, Sikhs, and Christians.{{Sfn|Entwistle|1987|p=4-8}}

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.{{Cite web |title=Braj Cuisine Echoes The Legends Of Lord Krishna, Radha And Holi |url=https://www.slurrp.com/article/holi-2023-braj-cuisine-echoes-the-legends-of-lord-krishna-radha-and-holi-1677850126840 |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=Slurrp |language=en |quote=Even now, Krishna is an integrated part of the Braj community and diet, influencing the culture in indelible ways. The essential elements of Braj cuisine are based on a few beliefs and traditions}}

Braj

Etymology

Braj pilgrimage circuits

= Notable pilgrimage sites =

Demographics

Braj culinary tradition

See also

References

Further reading