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Braj Sanskriti Shodh
Sansthan
(A Research Academy for History, Archaeology, Art,
Literature and Folk Culture of Braj)
National Conference for the scholars of Braj
Journey From Vraja to Braj:
Experiencing and Celebrating the heartland of Krishna ( 16th to 20th century)
December 6, 2019 to December 8, 2019
Call
for Papers:
ll जयति तेsधिकं जन्मना व्रज: ll
Braj Sanskriti Shodh Sansthan, Vrindavan, invites
proposals for an interdisciplinary conference on the region of Braj. The papers
and subsequent presentations should connect broadly, with our aim to understand
the pilgrimage traditions of the Braj region from multiple standpoints.
Please send in your Abstracts of not
more than 500 words by August 25, 2019
The
selected Participants would be informed by the September 10, 2019 and will be required to submit their full papers
by November 5, 2019.
Selected papers from the conference, will be peer-reviewed
and published in the form of a book.
Format:
The
language of the Abstract and respective papers can be either in Hindi or English.
They should be typed in Times New Roman font in case of English and in Kruti
Dev 10 font for Hindi and must be thoroughly proofread. The Abstracts must
include the Name of the Scholars and their professional affiliation. The scholars will also have to certify the
originality of the research paper.
The accommodation and food facilities will be provided by
the institute; however, the travel expenses will be the responsibility of the
scholar participants. Selected Scholars will have to get themselves registered
through Emails. A nominal amount of Rs. 300 can be paid either through online
mode or on arrival. Please feel free to contact conference organisers for any
queries at swatigoel90@ymail.com ; paridhi.david@gmail.com.
The spiritual quest for the earthly experience of their beloved deity
Krishna, brought various sampradayas and devotees to the Braj Bhumi, the sacred
land of Krishna. This ‘quest’ took the form of a pilgrimage during the 16th century and contributed
immensely to the very idea of Braj. The region owes its efflorescence to the
Bhakti movement as it became the force for the transformation of the area
around Mathura- which was counted as one of the seven cities of Salvation- into
what we know as Braj today. The beginning of this pilgrimage tradition during
the 16th century, ushered
in a period of great development of the region, inviting patronage from various
political, mercantile and even religious groups. It brought together devotees,
sects, various groups, binding them into the sacred thread of Bhakti. The
pilgrimage circuit of Braj encompassing 84 kos (i.e. 163 miles approx.), came
to be located very strategically in the vicinity of Delhi and Agra, the twin
capitals of the Mughal Empire. Mughals and their courtiers, contributed
extensively to the development of Braj
through the issuance of Farmans (royal decrees), giving revenue grants to the
temples of Braj.
During the latter half of the 17th and early 18th centuries, new avenues
of patronage emerged at the regional courts, which provided support to the
sects for shifting deities from Braj to their respective kingdoms. This shift,
on the other hand, gave rise to many new centres of pilgrimage- away from the
physical landscape of Braj- following the prototype of Braj.
British period marked a renaissance of the region as the excavations
brought to light relatively unknown facets of the region by establishing it as
a major centre of Buddhism and Jainism during the ancient times. It is
important to understand this phase in the historical life of Braj, in the light
of the new form of the regime and the sense of ‘modernity’ it brings and the
ways Braj grapples with the same.
The introduction of the railways, modern methods and techniques of
conservation and educational reforms -initiated by the famous district
collector of Mathura- F.S Growse- changed the process of pilgrimage as it made
Braj more accessible. With the passage of time, the conveyance facilities
became an indispensable part of the pilgrimage as the circumambulation through
them have become a part of the popular idea of pilgrimage. The itinerary of
pilgrimage constitutes the divine Yamuna river, 12 vanas (forests) and 24
Upavanas (groves), numerous ponds, temples and the circumambulation of the
mount Govardhana.
It would be the aim of the conference to observe the individual
participants of the pilgrimage tradition in the form of the scribes and
compositions of Goswamis and temple traditions, pilgrims, and indigenous
respondents to this phase of urban transformation in Braj. That the larger
narratives may not supersede and sweep the smaller ones, the conference
encourages papers or popular forms of pilgrim traditions, micro and personal
histories, each of these painting an experimental dimension to the pilgrimage tradition
in Braj.
The study of Braj, serves as a prototype for understanding the
formulations of the religious regions and pilgrimage traditions across the
subcontinent and beyond. Braj, as experienced by the contemporary pilgrims and
the general visitors is the result of the transformations the region has been
through, only less than five hundred years ago.
The objective is to understand these developments which have contributed
to how we see and experience the region today. The conference is an attempt to
come together again and begin a new quest for ‘knowledge’ to understand this
celebrated heartland of Krishna.
The topics may include, but are not
restricted to:
1.
Pilgrimage traditions of Braj
2. Art and Architecture of Braj
3. Economic and political profile of the
region
4. Braj Pilgrimage, Ecology and Environment
5. Urbanism and Braj
6.
Sanskrit and Braj bhasha literature
7. Sects and Bhakti literature
8.
Texts and Traditions
9. Folklore and Oral narratives shaping the Idea of Braj.
10. Conservation and Preservation of Braj
11. Cartography and the representations of Braj
12. Excavations and the changing perceptions of Braj
रसखानि कबै इन नैंनन तैं ब्रज के बन बाग तड़ाग निहारौं l
कोटिक ये कलधौंत के धाम करील की कुंजन ऊपर वारौं ll
Braj Sanskriti Shodh Sansthan Goda Vihar Premises, Gopeshwar Marg, Vrindavan -281121,
Mathura, U.P, India
