Braj

Braj (also known as Brij or Brajbhoomi) is a region in Uttar Pradesh of India. Braj, though never a clearly defined political region in India but is very well demarcated culturally, is considered to be the land of Krishna and is derived from the Sanskrit word "vraja". The main city in the region is Mathura.

Geographically and culturally Brajbhoomi is a part of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, which has been the main determinant of the entire Indian culture. Brajbhoomi falls right in the middle of the Doab. The area was an important part of the Madhya-desha or Aryavarta or midlands, when Aryans first settled in the Ganga plains.

The region lies well within the golden triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra. Some of the regions included in Brij are Gokul, Govardhan, Vrindavan. Contrary to the popular belief that Braj is Matura, Vrindavan and Goverdhan alone, this region comprises Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, Kaman Tehsil of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Hodal Tehsil of Faridabad district of Haryana and it spans across 1300 villages and 5000 km² in area.

The residents or natives of Braj are called "Brijwasi". Language(s) spoken: Braj bhasha or "Brij bhasha", closely related to spoken Hindi with a soft accent.

Brij is famous for its sweets.

Region and the cult of Krishna

Region is closely related to the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Krishna is said to have spent his childhood and adolescence in Braj and therefore, it has an important status in Hinduism.

Krishna performed his numerous pastimes popularly called his leelas in the 137 sacred forests, at the 1000 Kunds, on the numerous holy hills and on the banks of river Yamuna. In Srimad Bhagwat Geeta, he himself says to his foster father, Nandbaba that Braj is a culture of forests and hills and not of city. Through his Leelas, Krishna has emerged as the first environmentalist of the world. Nowhere in the history of mankind, one can find such an emphasis on the harmony of human life with the environment. By eating mud and showing the Universe in his mouth to mother Yashoda, he symbolically purified the earth element. By shunning the Kalia serpent, he emphasised on the purification of the water element. By sucking the Forest fire in Braj, he purified the fire element and by killing Trinavrat and Vyomasur he symbolically purified the air and space elements respectively.

Thus, the Brajbhasa, the language of Braj was the language of choice of the Bhakti movement, or the neo-Vaishnavite religions, the central deity of which was Krishna. Therefore, most of the literature in this language pertains to Krishna composed in medieval times.

If Bhagwat Geeta can be summarized in one word as "Nishkaam Karmayoga", Braj can be summarized in one word as "Simplification of Divine". The Divine in the form of Krishna got so simplified over here that he stole milk, curd and butter from the Brajwasis homes, grazed cows as a shepherd and shared the same plate of food with his friends, played with them, danced with them and did all those activities that a common man does, forgetting all about his divinity. It is because of this simplification of divine that the element of spiritualism is ingrained in the anatomy of the locales, that the pinnacle of bliss and satisfaction is found only here, that the hospitality of every Brajwasi can give the best hospitality professionals a run for their money.

Many international Hindu communities and disciplic successions established temples in the heart of Braj, the holy city of Vrindavan.

Protection of the heritage

Unfortunately, the vast heritage associated with Krishna is getting destroyed very very rapidly. Out of the 1000 kunds which used to be the source of fresh and potable drinking water source and rain water harvesting, 90% of them have dried and silted up, encroached upon and reduced to sludge tanks. Out of the 137 forests, only 3 are left and the rest have been cut down. Out of the 27 picturesque ghats on the banks of river Yamuna, only one remains and rest have been encroached upon and smuggled out. Due to the wide scale illegal mining of Braj hills, the heritage spots associated with Krishna are being lost. There is an overall destruction of the most culturally vibrant and heritage region of Vaishnavas, Hindus, Indians and mankind on the whole.

Efforts are being made by [http://www.brajfoundation.org The Braj Foundation] , a voluntary organization towards the revival of the 5000 year old holy region of Braj.

The Braj Foundation, is dedicated to the all round development of Braj – the culturally vibrant region lying in close vicinity to Taj Mahal and associated with the legend of Sri Radha-Krishna.

The Foundation works directly on projects to restore Braj as an idealistic rural society by conserving its 5000 year old heritage and environment through planning, conservation, renovation and encouraging local community participation.

The current focus is on the restoration of 1000 ancient water retention tanks (kunds), revival of 48 important sacred groves, regeneration of around 18000 acres (73 km²) of hilly terrains into lush-green pasture lands & forests and the resurrection of River Yamuna. Till now the foundation has restored 35 ancient water bodies and 1 sacred forest out of the 3 forests left in the entire region. A small group of dedicated professionals has achieved all this in a period of 3 years.

The Foundation is making several interventions in areas like organic farming, dairy industry, rural education, health care etc. towards the realization of its broader mandate. Although some Indians still carry the name of Brijen which is one way how the story of Krishna coming down to the Earth will be preserved in oral tradition.

Bibliography

*Rupert Snell, "The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader." Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.
* [http://www.brajfoundation.org The Braj Foundation - The organisation that has taken a pledge to restore Braj]
* [http://www.brajfoundation.org The Braj Foundation Website]