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. 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 Hodal Tehsil
of Faridabad district of Haryana and it spans across 1300 villages and 5000 km² in area. If Bhagwat Geeta can be summarized in one word as "Nishkaam Karmayoga", Braj can be summarized in one word as "Simplification of Divine". The Divine in the form of Krishna got so simplified over here that he stole milk, curd and butter from the brajvasis homes, grazed cows as a shepherd and shared the same plate of food with His friends, got absued from them, played with them, danced with them and did all those activities that a common man do, forgetting all about his divinity. It is because of this simplification of divine that the element of spiritualism is ingrained in the anatomy of the locales, that the pinnacle of bliss and satisfaction is found only here, that the hospitality of every Brajwasi can make the best hospitality professionals run for their money. Krishna performed his numerous pastimes popularly called his leelas in the 137 sacred forests, at the 1000 Kunds, on the numerous holy hills and on the banks of river Yamuna. In Srimad Bhagwat Geeta, he himself says to his foster father, Nandbaba that Braj is a culture of forests and hills and not of city. Nowhere in the history of mankind, one can find such an emphasis on the harmony of human life with the environment. By eating mud and showing the Universe in his mouth to mother Yashoda, he symbolically purified the earth element. By shunning the Kalia serpent, he emphasised on the purification of the water element. By sucking the Forest fire in Braj, he purified the fire element and by killing Trinavrat and Vyomasur he symbolically purified the air and space elements respectively. 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. Unfortunately the vast heritage associated with Krishna is getting destroyed very very rapidly. Out of the 1000 kunds which used to be the source of fresh and potable drinking water source and rain water harvesting, 90% of them have dried and silted up, encroached upon and reduced to sludge tanks. Out of the 137 forests, only 3 are left and rest have been cut down. Out of the 27 pictursque ghats on the banks of river Yamuna, only one remains and rest have been encroached upon and smuggled out. Due to the wide scale illegal mining of Braj hills, the heritage spots associated with Krishna are being lost. There is an overall desruction of the most culturally vibrant and heritage region of Vaishnavas, Hindus, Indians and mankind on the whole.
