Introduction

Braj

Mathura

Vrindavan

Some of the most popular definitons of the Word Braj:

Braj , though never a clearly defined political region in India but is very well demarcated region culturally, is considered to be the land of Krishna and is derived from the Sanskrit word Vraja.If Bhagwat Geeta can be summarized in one word as "Nishkaam Karmayoga", Braj can be summarized in one word as:

"Simplification of Divine". Wikipedia English - The Free Encyclopedia 1 vraja a fold , stall , cow-pen , cattle-shed , enclosure or station of herdsmen ; of the district around Agra and Mathura1 (the abode of Nanda , of Krishna's foster-father , and scene of Krishna's juvenile adventures ; commonly called Braj ; a herd , flock , swarm , troop , host , multitude " a fight with many "giri-vraja , ; a cloud : of a son of Havir-dha1na Hariv. Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon:

1.a multitude; 2.a station of cowherds; 3.a cow-pen; 4.an abode; 5.a road;6.a cloud; 7. "vraja" {a-stem} 1.wandering :Ranga Bhoomi, Natya shala -Apte Sanskrit Dictionary Braj or BrajBhasha, with their native tongue in everyday colloquial usage is widespread over a vast area of Punjab to Maharashtra and Rajasthan to Bihar. Lord Krishna is a universal deity very much associated with Braj, it becomes difficult to delineate the physical boundaries of Braj. Though the delineation is done to an extent it is imperative to delve Into the history and origin of the word Braj. The present Mathura and its nearby regions, also popularly known as Braj,in the past janapada days was known as 'Shursen'. Xuanzang has noted that in the 6th century BCE Mathura was the capital of the Shursen republic and comprised an area of 5000 li [Chinese distance measure; approximately 0.5 kilometers per li]. We can safely deduce that the border of Mathura in the south-east was touching the western border of jejakbhukthi (jijhauthi) and the South-west was conjunct by the northern part of Malav kingdom.In the present times Braj is strongly associated with the areas located 50 km north of Agra, and south of Delhi.

The word Braj itself doesn't seem to be of very distant origin, though the area of the Shursen republic has been constantly evolving. Mathura itself down the line got strongly affiliated with ‘Janapada’. During the ancient period, this was an important economic hub, located at the junction of some relatively important caravan routes. Braj right through Vedic literature is very intimately connected with herds, cows, Grazing fields so much so that even Ramayan and Mahabharat also passes references to Braj as associated with cows, cowherds, cattles, etc. Various puranas also refers to this association.

Braj as bhasha (Brajbhasha language) and Mathura (Shursen janpada) as a republic evolves much later and the impact when it happened was felt even by the common man when the bhakthi movement more so krishna-bhakthi reached a crescendo. It appears during the evolution of Mathura as a janapada that various vana's upavana's which served as huge grazing grounds that braj took a definitive form. Braj pradesh which has made a huge contribution to indian in particular hindi literature that words alone cannot describe fully the depth of impact. The new language known as Bra j- Bhasha with its poetic and melodic modulations has been a influential factor on the literature and art of the region. Mathura replublic after the 6th century onwards seems to be spread accross the current Mathura-agra to bhartpur-dholpur district and to central india. Unfortunately from the ancient times to Xuanzang in 634 BC much appears to be lost in as much as recorded evidence is concerned. 7th century onwards the area of Mathura (Shursen janapada) appears to have shrunk mainly due to emergence of the kannauj kingdom.