Braj | |
---|---|
Brij Bhasha | |
ब्रजभाषा | |
Native to | India |
Region | Braj |
Ethnicity | Brajwasi |
Native speakers | 1,600,000 (2011 census) [1] Census results conflate some speakers with Hindi. [2] |
Devanagari | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | bra |
ISO 639-3 | bra |
Glottolog | braj1242 |
Braj-speaking region |
Braj [lower-alpha 1] 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 west 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. [3]
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. [4]
Braj Bhasha is spoken in the nebulous Braj region centred on Mathura & Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur, Karauli, Gangapur & Dholpur in Rajasthan. It is the predominant language in the central stretch of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab in the following districts:
It is also spoken in the western areas of Uttar Pradesh, mainly in Mathura district and southern areas of Palwal district
In Madhya Pradesh it is spoken in the districts of :
It is spoken in several villages of Mathura, specially in Vrindavan, Madhuvan, Kaman, Kosi Kalan, Chhata, Baldeo, and all other villages belongs to Braj Area with Bajna, Surir, Bhidauni,
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:
The Indo-Aryan languages are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily concentrated east of the Indus river in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal. Moreover, apart from the Indian subcontinent, large immigrant and expatriate Indo-Aryan–speaking communities live in Northwestern Europe, Western Asia, North America, the Caribbean, Southeast Africa, Polynesia and Australia, along with several million speakers of Romani languages primarily concentrated in Southeastern Europe. There are over 200 known Indo-Aryan languages.
Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in Haryana state, Deeg, Bharatpur, Karauli, and Dholpur in Rajasthan state and Morena District in Madhya Pradesh. Within Uttar Pradesh, it is very well demarcated culturally, the area stretches from the Mathura, Aligarh, Agra, Hathras and districts up to the Etah district. Braj region is associated with Radha and Krishna who according to scriptures were born in Barsana and Mathura respectively. It is the main centre of Krishna circuit of Hindu pilgrimage.
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The Hindi Belt, also known as the Hindi Heartland or the Hindi speaking states, is a linguistic region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India where various Northern, Central, Eastern and Western Indo-Aryan languages are spoken, which in a broader sense is termed as Hindi languages, with Standard Hindi serving as the lingua franca of the region.
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Aligarh is one of the 75 districts in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Aligarh Division. The districts which adjoin Aligarh are Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Sambhal, Badaun, Kasganj, Hathras and Mathura.
Bharatpur District is a district in Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Bharatpur is the District Headquarters, Division Headquarters and Headquarters of Bharatpur
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The Western Hindi languages, also known as Midland languages, are a branch of the Indo-Aryan language family spoken chiefly in Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, in Northwest and Central India. The Western Hindi languages evolved from Sauraseni Prakrit. The most-spoken language in the Western Hindi language family is Standard Hindi, one of the official languages of the Government of India and one of the 22 Scheduled Languages of India.
Ahirwati is an Indo-Aryan dialect of India. It is spoken within the Ahirwal region located to the south-west of the capital Delhi. It belongs to the Rajasthani language group and is commonly taken to be a dialect of Mewati, but in many respects it is intermediate with the neighbouring varieties of Bangru and Bagri, and is especially close to Shekhawati.
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The Bargi are a Hindu caste found in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India. They have been granted Scheduled Caste status in Rajasthan, and their population according 2001 Census of India was 10,739.
Braj literature is literature in Braj Bhasha, one of the Western Hindi languages developed as a literary language during the 15th century, Bhakti Movement as a form of devotional songs in praise of Krishna. It is often mystical in nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all of Braj poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. It literary tradition is a celebration of Krishna. The Braj region has a rich legacy and the medium was mainly the literary vehicle for the poets viz. Surdas, Tulsidas, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Raskhan, Amir Khusrau among others.
Kotwan is a village in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the site where according to Hinduism, Krishna spent his childhood and is one of the main places in the Braj Bhoomi region. The Village is about 100 km away from Agra.
Shri Babu Ram Paliwal was an accomplished poet and writer in Hindi and Braj languages. He was best known for his early work ‘Karyalaya Nirdeshika’ for which he received awards by the Government of India and Uttar Pradesh Government. He contributed as Hindi expert in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Communications, the Government of India. He made significant contributions towards the development of Hindi language. He was the producer of the 'Braj-Bharati' program of Aakashwani, All India Radio, New Delhi. He had a multifaceted personality and had extensive knowledge of Hindi, Braj and English languages.