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Brajdiscovery Through this web site brajdiscovery.org we would like you to be part of a unique journey which is directly related to History, culture, society, archeology, art, religion - community, tourist spot and talent of Braj. We look forward to your participation in it. If you have any noteworthy Braj related photos, articles, books, fact, Memoirs, cultural video clips, etc., you are most welcome to add them to brajdiscovery.org. We request you to share them with the world by making them easily accessible on brajdiscovery.org. Braj culture has flourished and prospered on the shores of Yamuna. The day is not too far when Yamuna will dry out because of water pollution. The consequences of this can be easily predicted by the examples from the history of Saraswati, Indus and Nile river. Eventually, the Braj culture will vanish away with Yamuna river getting dry. |
Location Today, the region which we know as Braj, extends upto Palwal (Haryana) in the North, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) in the South, Bharatpur (Rajasthan) in the West and Eta (Uttar Pradesh) in the East. Braj Bhasha, customs, rituals and historical facts are native to the region. Mathura-Vrindavan form the base of the Braj region. Geographical location of Mathura-Vrindavan : North – 27,29',34" East – 77,41',1.4 National Highway No. – 2 146 Km on the Delhi-Agra road |
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Braj It is amazing to know that since before the time of Krishna, a democratic state existed In Braj. Andhak and Vrashni, two parties chose their chief by informal voting. Ugrasen was the chief of the Andhak party whose son, Kans wanted to become a dictator. Akroor helped Krishna slay Kans to save the democracy. Being from Vrashni party, Krishna was chosen king. Another example is of Buddha. According to Anushruti, on reaching Mathura, Buddha said to his disciple, Anand “यह आदि राज्य है, जिसने अपने लिए राजा (महासम्मत) चुना था ।“ ( “This is an ancient state, which chose for itself, an elected king”). Read More |
...OF all the sacred places in India, none enjoys a greater popularity than the capital of Braj, the holy city of Mathura. For nine months in the year festival follows upon festival in rapid succession, and the ghats and temples are daily thronged with new troops of way-worn pilgrims. So great is the sanctity of the spot that its panegyrists do not hesitate to declare that a single day spent at Mathura is more meritorious than a lifetime passed at Banaras.- ( F.S.Growse- District Megistrate Mathura 1871-1877 )
The word ‘Braj’, normally refers to the Mathura District and nearby regions. In Vedic Literature, it signifies farms and farm animals. The Ramayana, Mahabharat and other literatures of the same era, also refer to ‘Braj’ in the same context. ‘Braj’ has been frequently referred to as a ‘place’ in the Puranas, which, scholars believe is a reference to Gokul. ‘Braj’ became a part of spoken language during the Bhakti Movement. The huge wave of Krishna bhakti in the 14th century brought the reverence of ‘Braj’ to the common man. Echoes of the bhajans of Surdas, Meera, Tulsidas and Raskhan can still be heard in Braj. What is it in Krishna bhakti that made Meera lose her palatial comforts , and, on realizing the true meaning of Soor’s creations made scholars question his inability to see. Music maestros believe that 16000 ragas were crafted in Braj. It was in Braj that Swami Haridas lived his life limiting himself to the 'एक ही वस्त्र और एक मिट्टी का करवा' lifestyle and whose singing was listened to, for hours by kings, sitting at his doorstep. Immortal singers like Baiju Bavara, Taansen, Nayak Bakshu(Dhrupad-Dhamar) dedicated their lives to music in Braj. Bihari, Ameer Khusro, Bhooshan, Ghananand, and so on, are unforgettable poets in literature. Proofs of literary Braj Bhasha in spoken language are found in Maharashtra in the 13th century. Later, it was established that its use continued till the 19th century in Gujrat, Assam, Manipur, Kerala. Classical singing is unimaginable without the use of Braj Bhasha. Even today, songs in films employ words from Braj Bhasha to make them melodious.
According to chronological order, Mathura has played an important role in the times of the Mahabharat, Maurya, Shung, Shak, Gupt, Huns, Harshvardhana, Rajput, Slave Dynasty, Khilji, Tughlaq, Lodhi, Sher Shah, Hemu, Mughal, Jat and English Rule. ‘Shursen Nagari’, ‘Sauryapur’, ‘Madhupuri’, ‘Madura’, etc all are names which were used to denote Mathura. Foreign travelers employed names from 'मो-तु-लो' (place where peacocks dance) to Methora. Aurangzeb changed the name of Mathura to Islamabad, while the English preferred Muttra. Dhruv, Gautam Buddha, Tirthankara Parshvanath, Mahavira, Shankaracharya, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Guru Nanak, Salim Chishti, Ramkrishna Paramhans, Dayanand Saraswati, Guru Ramdas, Vallabhacharya…. All either visited or lived in Mathura forever. As we move on, we will find many interesting things to read, write and even find… Bon Voyage…
Legend goes that no one ever living in Braj Bhoomi wishes to go to Moksha after death since who ever ends his journey of life would end up as a tree. Probably the worlds first ever recorded “Save our environment” mass movement. It goes on to prove that if a movement to succeed, it has to become a way of life.
Braj, fondly suffixed as Braj Bhoomi, Braj wasi and Braj Bhasha, when you travers back in time through our history, myth, puranas, and folklore was spread across the area, starting from Palwal, Haryana in the north to Gwalior, MP in the south and Bharatpur, Rajasthan in the west to Etah, UP in the east.
- Lord Krishna, Arjuna’s Charioteer, the mischievous child, the ethereal lover of 16000 gopikas played out his blissful and ecstatic Raasa Leela here...
- It is here in NidhiVan, it once resonated with Swami Haridasa’s soulfully chantings...
- Blind Poet Surdas who spearheaded the bhakti movement...
- the home to Bihrailal Mathur , much acclaimed court poet and accomplished writer of couplets....
- and who hasn’t heard of Mira bai (Meera) whose bhajans the legendary M..S.Subbalakshmi has immortalized for eternity... List probably will never end !!!
“Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbour “ -Arnold Toynbee. Braj would probably classify as a civilization whether you go along with the well known British Historian or if one strictly goes by the definition of a dictionary .
civilization -, civilisation (a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)) "the people slowly progressed from barbarism to civilization"
From the earliest references to Mathura in Harivansha Purana of the Mahabharata fame , to a well developed and prosperous city, Braj of which Mathura was a part, has been a movement which slowly encompassed the area it exists as of now.
In fact the earliest references to a loose form of democracy are from lord Krishna’s time. It is claimed that the ways and means of distributing wealth attained through wars was decided by the various leaders of yadav clan through a form of informal voting . There is even a mention of two parties, Andhak and Vrishni. Who had a system of voting to decide their leaders.Legend goes that Kans,son of Ugrasen who was heading the Andhak party was nurturing ideas of dictatorship . Then the people belonging to Andhak represented by Akroor invited Lord Krishna who belonged to Vrishni Party to kill their leader Kans so as to save democracy .
Braj Bhasha become the language of the choice of literature, poetry and later on the bhakti movement. Be it Surdas or Amir khusro the language in which they conveyed their poetry, bhajan and songs was Braj Bhasha. What will Hindustani classical music be without Braj Bhasha , probably it wouldn’t have existed in its present form. Braj from being a spoken dialect had its golden moments from the times of santa Surdas to Amir Khusro. Even today Braj Bhasha is being used in popular hindi film songs when a particular word in hindi fails to convey a sense of ethos.
Braj has managed to hold its own all through the times of Maurya’s, and blossomed be it poetry, literature, music and the bhakti most of the time absorbing the local influences .
Braj has been a an epicenter of religious movement is an established fact . From the home of Lord Krishna to the home of bhakti movement, it has left an indelible mark on literature, music, theater and visual arts. Nautanki known as saangeeth, an established form of enacting stories from puranas, myths, history and last but not the least Raas leela of Lord Krishna. The bhakti movement which boasts of such greats like Surdas, Meera and Ras khan has left an irreplaceable impression on the modern Hindustani music to popular bollywood music .
Braj as the british historian said of Civilazation, is an voyage not a harbour . Brajdiscovery through its humble efforts is a beginning of a voyage and want you to join hands in this never ending journey .