Braj Chaurasi Kos Yatra

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  WHAT IT IS: The great walking pilgrimage around Braj Mandal, the land of Shri Krishna's childhood and youth. It covers about 84 kos, roughly 250 to 300 kilometres by different reckonings, and passes through Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Radha Kund, Barsana, Nandgaon, and Gokul.
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  WHY VISIT OR CHANT: Devotees seek a deepening of love for Shri Radha and Krishna. Braj tradition holds that the circuit gathers the merit of many tirthas in one journey, and that every step on Braj soil is a step in worship.
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  WHEN TO VISIT: Kartika, in October and November, and Bhadrapada, around Janmashtami and Radhashtami, are especially loved. Pilgrims also walk during the Purushottam Maas, or Adhik Maas, the extra lunar month inserted about every three years to keep the lunar and solar calendars aligned.
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  WHERE: The Braj region around Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, extending into Rajasthan and Haryana. The usual starting points are Mathura and Vrindavan.
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  HOW:
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  Walk with simple footwear or barefoot, as health permits, and keep the holy names of Radha and Krishna on the lips.
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  Observe sattvic habits, a pure and wholesome diet and lifestyle, speak truthfully, and avoid intoxicants.
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  Bathe at the sacred kunds, or ponds, such as Manasi Ganga and Radha Kund, before darshan.
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  Touch Braj dust to the forehead, serve cows, and walk with humility.

Braj Mandal is the land where Bhagwan Shri Krishna spent his childhood and youth. His birth in Mathura, his childhood at Gokul and Nandgaon, the lifting of Govardhan Hill, and the Rasa dance at Vrindavan are all remembered in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 10. The land is held to be as sacred as the divine realm of Krishna himself.

Brahma's prayer to Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, 10.14.32, celebrates the people of Braj as supremely fortunate, because their dear friend is the eternal Supreme Reality, full of bliss. Uddhava, the messenger of Krishna, expresses a wish in Bhagavata Purana 10.47.61 to be born as a blade of grass in Vrindavan, so that the dust of the feet of the gopis may fall upon him. Because of such verses, the dust of Braj, called Braj Raj, is honored by every pilgrim.

The Varaha Purana and the Padma Purana also praise Mathura and its surrounding land. The Braj Yatra circuit in its present form was formally established in the 16th century by sadhus of the Vaishnava sampradayas, who fixed its routes, resting places, and rituals.

Braj tradition holds that the major tirthas are all present within Braj Mandal. Hence a pilgrim who walks the whole circuit is said to receive the blessing of many holy places while remaining in the land of Krishna's lila.

The Braj Yatra was established by the sadhus of the Vaishnava traditions in the 16th century. Several great teachers shaped the pilgrimage:

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  Shri Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushtimarg, the path of grace centered on devotion to Krishna, is remembered for his journeys through Braj, and tradition counts eighty-four sacred seats of Bhagavata discourse, called Baithaks, associated with him.
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  Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited Braj in 1515. The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, Rupa, Sanatana, Raghunatha Dasa, Raghunatha Bhatta, Jiva, and Gopala Bhatta, later established temples and wrote devotional texts.
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  Swami Haridas filled Nidhivan with music, and Surdas composed songs about Krishna's childhood that are still sung.
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  Mirabai spent part of her life in Braj, and the Nimbarka tradition, including Harivyasa Devacharya, has long cherished Braj dust.

This verse of Brahma's praise of Krishna, from the Bhagavata Purana 10.14.32, is often recalled by pilgrims in Braj.

How fortunate, how fortunate are Nanda, the cowherds, and the people of Braj, whose dear friend is the Supreme Reality, full of bliss and eternal.