About Braj

Location Braj is located 115 Kms from Delhi on NH-2, Delhi – Agra national highway The entire region lies well within the Golden triangle of Delhi – Jaipur – Agra

Braj is not just Vrindavan

• Braj is not just Mathura or Vrindavan alone as is popularly believed by devotees from all over the world.
• The entire expanse of 84 – Kos periphery around Vrindavan is Braj.
• The region spans across the Mathura district of UP, Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Hodal Subdivision of Palwal Dist. of Haryana.
• The entire region has over 1300 villages. Around 650 villages are associated with one or the other Krishna leelas. Their very names refer to their connection with Krishna.

Braj : A culture of forests & hills

In the 10th chapter, 24 canto and 24th verse of Srimad Bhagvatam, Krishna says to Nand Baba:

 “Neither the cities, the cultured lands nor the villages or their houses are ours. We are the forest people, dear father, and will always live in the forests and the hills”.

Braj is predominantly a forest culture. In Brajbhaktivilas there is a mention of over 137 transcidental dense groves on both flanks of Yamuna.

How does one reach Braj?
Vrindavan- Mathura the popular townships of Braj are merely a two and a half hour drive (145 Kms) from New Delhi on the Delhi Agra Highway (NH-2). From Agra it is 55 Kms on the same Highway. There are multiple trains to Mathura from these towns. The nearest airports are New Delhi & Agra.

Special about Braj
Braj is the land of Lord Krishna, the propounder of world famous Srimad Bhagvad Gita.
Krishna appeared in Mathura some 5000 years ago and performed his innumerable pastimes all over the region till the age of 11.
More than 650 villages of Braj are associated with His various leelas. All this makes the entire region of Braj sacred for millions of Vaishnavites all over the world.

Braj has a 5000 year old cultural heritage of unbroken continuity
Since the advent of Krishna 5000 years ago, the culture of Braj has been sustained despite innumerable onslaughts.
Braj offers round the years festivity. Every day there is a colorfull festival in Braj.
If Srimad Bhagvad Gita can be summarised in one sentence as "Nishkaam Karmayog" (selfless work), Braj culture can be defined as "Simplification of Divine".
The Supreme personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna is considered to be the founder of this culture.
The principles of simple living and high thinking and that of optimal consumption have nowhere been exemplified as that in Braj.
Predominantly a cow based economy, Brajwasis have carried on their age old cultural and spiritual ethos.

Krishna  - the primordial environmentalist, He purified the five elements of nature

Swallowing forest fire - Fire	Killing Vyomasur - Space	Punishing Kaliya - Water
Eating Mud – Earth Killing Trinavarta - Air

Braj is predominantly a rural society
Braj culture is predominantly rural in nature. Agriculture & Animal Husbandry have been the primary vocation of Brajwasis since ages.

The villages of Braj offer a unique colourful experience. The simple kind hearted Brajwasis are superb hosts. They pour their hearts to the visitors. It was this simplicity and soft heartedness that they indebted even the Supreme personality of Godhead - Krishna.

Mud houses with thatched roof, a tulsi plant in the courtyard, women drawing water out of the wells and carrying their pots on heads, cooking of chapatis on chulhas, churning of curd are some of the typical scenes one would find in the villages of Braj.

Towards evening, the Brajwasis have bhajans, kirtans and dance glorifying the innumerable pastimes of Radha & Krishna.

50 million pilgrims & tourists come to Braj annually.
Braj is visited by over 5 crore pilgrims annually. They come to pay their obeisances in the various temples of Braj like Bankey Bihari temple, Radha Vallabh temple, Radha Raman temple, Radha Damodar temple, Rang ji temple at Vrindavan, Nandmahal in Nandgaon, Shriji Mandir in Barsana, Dauji Mandir in Baldev, temples of Kamyvan etc.

They perform various parikramas in different parts like that of Giriraj Goverdhan; Vrindavan etc. or of whole Braj.

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