Braj
Braj | |
|---|---|
     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. | |
| Country |  India |
| Region | Northern India |
| Proposed capitals | Noida, Agra |
| Proposed Districts | |
| Language | Braj Bhasha dialect of Hindi |
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 and Ballabhgarh in Haryana state, Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur 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 the Sanskrit term "vraj" which means "go" in English.The term "Braj" refers to a region in northern India, primarily in the state of Uttar Pradesh, that is associated with Lord Krishna and his childhood pastimes. The etymology of the word "Braj" is derived from the Sanskrit term "Vraj," which means "pasture" or "cow grazing grounds."
The region of Braj holds great significance in Hindu mythology and religious traditions, as it is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna spent his early years and performed various divine activities. The region is dotted with numerous towns and villages associated with Krishna, such as Mathura, Vrindavan, and Govardhan, which attract millions of pilgrims and devotees each year.
The term "Braj" has become synonymous with the spiritual and cultural heritage of Lord Krishna. It represents the landscape, the people, the traditions, and the devotion associated with Krishna's life and teachings. The Bhakti (devotional) movement, which flourished in the medieval period, played a significant role in popularizing the importance of Braj and its association with Lord Krishna.
In summary, the etymology of the term "Braj" is rooted in the Sanskrit word "Vraj," which signifies the pastoral or cow grazing grounds. Over time, it has become synonymous with the region associated with Lord Krishna and his childhood pastimes.
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 the three main pilgrimage sites related to Krishna circuit, namely 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra in Haryana state, Vraja Parikrama in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and Dwarka Parikrama (Dwarkadish yatra) at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat.
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.[1]
The demands for Braj Bhoomi, or the region of Braj associated with Lord Krishna, can vary among different groups and individuals. Here are some common demands or aspirations associated with Braj Bhoomi:
Preservation of religious and cultural heritage: Many people, especially devotees and religious organizations, demand the preservation and conservation of the religious and cultural heritage of Braj Bhoomi. This includes maintaining and restoring ancient temples, ghats (riverfront steps), and other sacred sites associated with Lord Krishna's pastimes.
Environmental conservation: Braj Bhoomi is known for its natural beauty, including rivers, forests, and wildlife. There are demands for preserving and protecting the ecological balance of the region, including efforts to clean and rejuvenate rivers such as the Yamuna, which holds immense religious significance for Krishna devotees.
Infrastructure development: As a popular pilgrimage site, there are demands for improved infrastructure in Braj Bhoomi. This includes better transportation facilities, road networks, accommodations, sanitation facilities, and crowd management systems to cater to the needs of the increasing number of visitors.
Tourism promotion: Braj Bhoomi attracts millions of tourists and pilgrims each year. There are demands for effective tourism promotion and marketing strategies to enhance the visitor experience, promote local businesses, and generate employment opportunities for the local population.
Educational institutions: Some people advocate for the establishment of educational institutions, including schools and universities, that focus on the teachings of Lord Krishna and promote the cultural heritage of Braj Bhoomi. This is seen as a way to impart knowledge and values associated with Krishna's life and teachings to future generations.
Heritage tourism development: Braj Bhoomi has immense potential for heritage tourism, and there are demands for initiatives to develop and promote heritage tourism circuits, guided tours, and cultural events that showcase the rich history and traditions of the region.
It's important to note that these demands can vary among different stakeholders, including religious organizations, environmental activists, local communities, and tourism bodies. The government and various organizations work together to address these demands while balancing the preservation of the cultural heritage and the sustainable development of the region.
Braj Language
| Braj | |
|---|---|
| Braj Bhasha | |
| ब्रजभाषा | |
| Native to | India |
| Region | Braj |
| Ethnicity | Braji people |
Native speakers | 1,600,000 (2011 census)[6] Census results conflate some speakers with Hindi.[7] |
| Devanagari | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | bra |
| ISO 639-3 | bra |
| Glottolog | braj1242 |
 Braj language speaking region | |
The Braj language, Braj Bhasha, also known as Vraj Bhasha or Vrij Bhasha or Braj Bhāṣā or Braji or Brij Bhasha or Braj Boli, is a Western Hindi language. Along with Awadhi, it was one of the two predominant literary languages of North-Central India before the switch to Hindustani in the 19th century.
Braj is spoken by people in the vaguely defined region of Braj (Braj Bhumi) in northern India, which was a political state in the era of the Mahabharata wars. According to ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Kingdom of Surasena is described as spreading through Braj (also known as Brij, Vrija or Vraja), where the incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna was born and spent his childhood days, according to tradition. This region lies in the Agra-Mathura-Hathras-Firozabad-Aligarh area and Etawah-Mainpuri-Auraiya area, and stretches as far as the environs of Delhi. In modern India, this area lies mostly in central western Uttar Pradesh, the eastern extremities of Rajasthan i.e. Bharatpur, Karauli and Dholpur and the southern extremities of Haryana. Northern regions of Madhya Pradesh like Morena are also included.[8] Today Braj Bhumi can be seen as a cultural-geographical entity rather than a proper state. Braj Bhasha is the vernacular of the region, and is very close to Awadhi, spoken in the neighbouring Awadh region.
Much of the Hindi literature was developed in Braj in the medieval period, and a substantial amount of Bhakti or devotional poetry is in this language. Some devotional poems for Krishna are also composed in Braj. Braj is also the main language of Hindustani classical music compositions.
The Hindavi poet Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) wrote some of his poetry in Braj Bhasha, as did the Sikh scribe Bhai Gurdas (1551–1636). Braj folk songs and poems include Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni by Amir Khusrau, and the devotional song Main Naahin Maakhan Khaayo by Surdas.
Geographical distribution
Braj Bhasha is spoken in the nebulous Braj region centred on Mathura and Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur and Dholpur in Rajasthan. It is the predominant language in the central stretch of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab in the following districts:
- Hathras
- Mathura
- Agra
- Karauli
- Aligarh
- Firozabad
- Auraiya
- Etah
- Mainpuri
- Etawah
- Farrukhabad
- Kasganj
- Badaun
- Palwal
- Gautam Budh Nagar
It is also spoken in the western areas of Uttar Pradesh, mainly in Mathura district and southern areas of Faridabad district
In Madhya Pradesh it is spoken in the districts of :
It is spoken in several villages of Mathura, specially in Vrindavan, Madhuvan, Kaman, Kosi Kalan, Chhata, Baldeo, and all other villages belongs to Braj Area with Bajna, Surir, Bhidauni,
Literature
Most Braj literature is of a mystical nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all of the Braj Bhasha poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as directly emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. All traditional Punjabi literature is similarly written by saints and is of a metaphysical and philosophical nature.
Another peculiar feature of Northern Indian literature is that the literature is mostly written from a female point of view, even by male poets. This is because the saints were in a state of transcendental, spiritual love, where they were metaphorically women reuniting with their beloved. (In its inversion of the conventional genders of worshipper and worshippee, Maulana Da’ud's Chandayan departs from this tradition.)
Important works in Braj Bhasha are:
- “ pushtimargiya kiratan of ashtachhap.
- Yugala Shataka by Swami Sri Sribhatta Devacarya; known as the first 'Vani' book in Vraja Bhasha composed in the 14th century AD as a part of Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition of Radha Krishna worship.
- Vinaya Patrika by Tulsidas
- Sur Sagar by Surdas[9]
- Buddha Charit by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla
- Sufi poetry by Amir Khusro
- Eulogies by Kavi Bhushan
- Nayikabhed, Nakhshikh and satasattak by Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.[10]
- Vrind Satsai by Vrind (1643–1723), court poet of ruler of Kishangarh[11]
- Dasam Granth, a secondary Sikh scripture predominantly employing the Braj-language, whose authorship is attributed to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru[12]
Braj Bhasha sample sentences
| Braj Bhasha | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कहां जाए रयो है रे? or कहाँ जाए रै? | Where are you going? |
| का कर रओ है? or का कर रै? (to male), का कर रई है? (to female). | What are you doing? |
| तेरो नाम का है? or तेओ नाम का है? | What is your name? |
| तेनें का खायो? or तेनें का खाओ है? | What did you eat? |
| का है रयो है? | What's going on? |
| मोए ना पतो। | I don't know. |
| तोए का दिक्कत है? | What is your problem? |
| कहां कौ है रे तू? | Where are you from? |
| घर कौन-कौन है रे? or घर पे को को है रे? | Who's at home? |
| तेरो घर कहां है? or तेरो घर किते है? | Where is your home? |
| रोटी खाए लई का? | Had your meal? |
| का हाल-चाल है? or तू कैसो है? | How are you? |
| तोए बताई हती। or तोते कही हती। | I told you. |
| जे लाली मेई है। or जे मेई मोड़ी है। | She's my daughter. |
| je hamao lalla hai | He's my son. |
| tu kab awego? | When you will be coming? |
| Teri hi rah dekhro. | I was waiting for you. |
| Tero byah hai gayo kaa? | Are you married? |
| Kahan koon/ kit koon jaro hai? | Which place you are going to? |
| nyah aa | Come here. |
| humbe hanji | Yes/no both with expression |
| chalo chalo | lets move |
| chup hai jaa | silent |
| Non diyo nek sau | Give me some salt |
| mere jore nai | I don't have |
| je bus kitau ja rai hai? | Where will this bus go? |
| jyada mat bol | don't speak too much |
| itku aa | come here |
| pallanku haija | go that side |
| khano khay le | have food |
| nek moye diyo | give me a little bit |
| jame non laghu hai | there is too much salt in this |
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.
- ^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues – 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ "Census of India: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues −2001". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ a b Frawley, William (May 2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. ISBN 9780195139778. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Google Notebook". google.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ Atre, Shubhangana (2019). History. Maharashtra: Maharashtra state textbook bureau.
- ^ Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. pp. 425–. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9.
- ^ Fenech, Louis E. (2014). Historical Dictionary of Sikhism (3rd ed.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 191. ISBN 9781442236011.
Further reading
- Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader. Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.
