Braj Bhasa

Braj is a language within the Indo-Aryan language family spoken in the Braj region in Western Uttar Pradesh centered on Mathura. Along with Awadhi, it was one of the two predominant literary languages of North-Central India before gradually merging and contributing to the development of standardized Hindi in the 19th century. It is spoken today in its unique form in many districts of Western Uttar Pradesh, often referred to as 'Central Braj Bhasha'.

The language was historically used for Vaishnavite poetry dedicated to Krishna, whose life was associated with sites in the Braj region. There were also early prose works in terms of the hagiographical ''vārtā'' literature of the Vallabha sect.

Braj is considered by scholars to be a more conservative example of the Central Indo-Aryan languages compared to the Hindustani language, which has been influenced by Panjabi and intermediate dialects.

Geographical distribution

Braj Bhasha is spoken in the nebulous Braj region centred on Mathura, Agra, Aligarh, Hathras, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur, Deeg, Karauli, Gangapur & Dholpur in Rajasthan. It is the predominant language in the central stretch of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab in the following districts:
* Bharatpur
* Deeg
* Hathras
* Mathura
* Agra
* Aligarh
* Firozabad
* Gautam Buddha Nagar district
* Bulandshahr district
* Sambhal district
* Farrukhabad district
* Etah district
* Mainpuri district
* Kasganj district
* Badaun district
* Bareilly district
* Faridabad district
* Palwal district
* Karauli district
* Gangapur
* Morena district
* Gwalior district
* Dholpur

In Rajasthan it is spoken in the districts of :
* Bharatpur
* Deeg
* Dholpur
* Gangapur
* Karauli

In Western Uttar Pradesh spoken in the southern part of western Uttar Pradesh. Braj-speaking districts include Mathura, Hathras, Agra, Aligarh, Etah, Firozabad, Budaun, Mainpuri, Bareilly, Sambhal and Most parts of Gautam Buddh Nagar (areas of Jewar and Greater Noida), Bulandshahr (areas of Khurja, Shikarpur, Bulandshahr, Aurangabad, Bulandshahr, Anupshahr and Sikandrabad) and Even Some communities still speaks Braj basha near southern part of Ghaziabad.

In Haryana it is spoken in the districts of :
* Palwal,
* Faridabad
The area of South Delhi, which is connected to Faridabad, still has some communities that speak Brajbhasha.

In Madhya Pradesh it is spoken in the districts of :
* Morena district,
* Gwalior district
* Shivpuri.

It is spoken in several villages of Mathura, specially in Vrindavan, Madhuvan, Deeg, Kaman, Kosi Kalan, Chhata, Baldeo, and all other villages belongs to Braj Area with Bajna, Surir, Bhidauni,

Literature

Most Braj literature is of a mystical nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all of the Braj Bhasha poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as directly emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. All traditional Punjabi literature is similarly written by saints and is of a metaphysical and philosophical nature.

Another peculiar feature of Northern Indian literature is that the literature is mostly written from a female point of view, even by male poets. This is because the saints were in a state of transcendental, spiritual love, where they were metaphorically women reuniting with their beloved. (In its inversion of the conventional genders of worshipper and worshippee, Maulana Da’ud's Chandayan departs from this tradition.)

Important works in Braj Bhasha are:
* ''Pushtimargiya kiratan'' of ashtachhap.
* ''Yugala Shataka'' by Swami Sri Sribhatta Devacarya; known as the first 'Vani' book in Vraja Bhasha composed in the 14th Century AD as a part of Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition of Radha Krishna worship.
* ''Vinaya Patrika'' by Tulsidas
* ''Sur Sagar'' by Surdas
* ''Buddha Charit'' by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla
* Sufi poetry by Amir Khusro
* Eulogies by Kavi Bhushan
* Dasam Granth Guru Gobind Singh
* Nayikabhed, Nakhshikh and satasattak by Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
* ''Vrind Satsai'' by Vrind (1643 - 1723), court poet of ruler of Kishangarh

See also

* Hindi literature
* Brajavali dialect
* Brajabuli
* Awadhi language

Notes

References

Further reading

* Snell, Rupert. 1991. ''The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhāṣā Reader''
* Snell, Rupert. 2016
''Braj in Brief: An introduction to literary Braj Bhāṣā''

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070524104936/http://www.ciil.org/Main/Languages/indian.htm

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Languages of India
Central Indo-Aryan languages
Languages of Uttar Pradesh
Languages of Rajasthan
Brij
Languages listed as Hindi dialects in latest census