Braj
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Braj, though never a clearly defined political region in India, is considered to be the land of Krishna and is derived from the Sanskrit word vraja. Thus, Brajbhasa is the language of Braj (often considered a dialect of Hindi), and it 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.
The region lies within the Taj Trapezium zone, in three states - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. In the recent years, the historic Braj region which holds India's 5000 year old heritage has been suffering to toll of unchecked development and official neglect. There have been complaints of sacred hill are being blasted out, groves being unlawfully cut down, and historic water reservoirs are in degraded conditions.
Efforts are being made by Braj Rakshak Dal, a voluntary oraganisation towards the revival of the 5000 year old holy region of Braj.
[edit] The Braj Foundation
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 region spans across the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, portions of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Faridabad district of Haryana and lies well within the golden triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra.
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 of hilly terrains into lush-green pasture lands & forests and the resurrection of River Yamuna.
The Foundation is making several interventions in areas like organic farming, dairy industry, rural education, healthcare etc. towards the realization of its broader mandate.
[edit] Bibliography
- Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader. Includes grammar, readings and translations, and a good glossary.
- Braj Rakshak Dal - The organisation that has taken a pledge to restore Braj
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