Lost Forests of Braj

Abstract

Govardhan is a small pilgrimage town in India, situated in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. This town is located along a hill which, according to the local folklore, is regarded as the sacred heart of Braj Mandala.Govardhan Hill is a mountain deity known as Giriraj, manifested by Lord Krishna himself. According to the local legend and Puranic literature Krishna used to take shelter in Govardhan and venture into the vast forests of Braj, rearing his cows and cattle. Since Govardhan provided the Brajvasis with all the basic livelihood necessities like water, shelter, various fruits, and green grass for the cattle, Krishna asked the Brajvasis to worship Govardhan, despite Indra. Because of this manifestation, Govardhan is still revered as a mountain deity.According to the sacred Hindu text Skanda Purana, the whole region of Braj, along with the foothill of the mountain, was principally an accumulation of 12 forests or mahavan, 24 gardens or upvan, around 50 ponds known as kunds, and various other leelastals of Lord Krishna.During the 11th century, C.E. Govardhan and Vrindavan were regarded as the most important pilgrimage sites, and Mathura was the Capital of Braj Mandala. It was a flourishing spiritual hub of the 11th century where forests were the most crucial aspect of Bhakti and the sacred ritual of the '84 kos Braj van yatra.'Braj lost its spiritual essence in the turmoil of Mughal invasions between the 11th and 15th centuries until it was again found by a Bengali Saint, Chaitanya, in 1515. In the initial years, the followers of Chaitanya and his other contemporaries like Vallabhacharya and Hit Harivanshrai started developing various philosophies of Bhakti and further founded different new sects of Vaishwanism.Today Vaishnavism is spread worldwide, attracting an influx of devotees from across the globe. The final product intends to raise the central question of when this polarization in devotion happened? Until the late 1700s, the 12 forests of Braj were revered and circumambulator as sacred forms of divinity, but in the wake of the Industrial Revolution and unplanned development Braj first lost its 12 sacred forests. Yamuna was polluted, and the holy dust of Braj was lost under a concrete blanket. These natural elements, such as Govardhan, Vrindavan, and Yamuna, have lost their imagined spiritual essence.Vrindavan is regarded as a place where spring or basant ritu resides forever. But the final product will raise the concern of how the sacred forests of Vrindavan were replaced with a concrete van.Almost nothing remains among the 12 sacred forests of Braj. Govardhan Forest has a story that the final product will deliver to the viewers.Throughout history, many concerned Brajvasis have raised their voice against the destruction happening to the natural heritage of Braj Mandal. Baba Sevak Saran, along with Shrivatsa Goswami and Ranchor Prime, conceded friends of Vrindavana, an independent body fighting to restore the sacred essence of Braj. They even gained the support of WWF but failed to save the forests of Vrindavan from inevitable destruction.The forests of Govardhan were also lost to the wrath of Urbanization during the 90s, but today slowly-slowly, these forests are regrowing back. There are around 6 hectares of reserved forest in the foothill of Govardhan. The spiritual forefront there is trying to revive the forest, but on the other hand, land mafias have started choaking the Govardhan hill from all 4 sides. The final product focuses on the existing state of the forest and tries to compare it with the imagined landscape depicted in the classical Pahari Miniature paintings, and presents a stark contrast of reality.Reviving the tangible and intangible ecology of a culturally imagined space in the middle of a developing pilgrimage town is difficult; such efforts in Govardhan are also ineffective.