Braj

Brij (Hindi: ब्रज) (also known as Braj or Brijbhoomi) is a region mainly in Uttar Pradesh of India, around Mathura-Vrindavan. Brij, though never a clearly defined political region in India, is very well demarcated culturally. It is considered to be the land of Krishna and is derived from the Sanskrit word vraja. The main cities in the region are Mathura, Jalesar, Bharatpur, Agra, Hathras, Dholpur, Aligarh, Etawah, Mainpuri, Etah, Kasganj and Firozabad.

Etymology

The term "Braj" means 'Pasture', and a settlement of herders and cattle breeders.

Area

Geographically and culturally Brajbhoomi is a part of the Ganges-Yamuna-Doab(upper indus) region, which has had an extensive influence on the entirety of Indian Subcontinent culture. Brajbhoomi falls right in the middle of the Doab. The area was an important part of the Madhya-desha or Aryavarta or midlands.

The region lies well within the golden triangle of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra. Covering an area of about 3,800 km² today, Brajbhoomi can be divided into two distinct units: the eastern part in the trans-Yamuna tract which includes Gokul, Mahavan, Sadabad, Baldeo, Mat and Manigarhi (Nauhjheel) Bajna; and the western side of the Yamuna covering the Mathura region that encompasses Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kusum Sarovar, Barsana and Nandgaon. Contrary to the popular belief that Braj is Mathura, Vrindavan and Goverdhan alone, this region comprises Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, Kaman Tehsil of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Hodel, Hassanpur of Palwal district of Haryana, and it spans 1300 villages.