Braj in the context of "Agra"

Gopi (Sanskrit: गोपी, IAST: Gopī) or Gopika in Hinduism are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of the Braj region in India. They are regarded by Hindus as the consorts and devotees of Krishna and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (Bhakti) to him as described in Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic literature. Gopis are often considered as the expansion of Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. The Raslila of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures.

Gopi (Sanskrit: गोपी, IAST: Gopī) when used as a male name of Indian origin is a short form of the name Gopala Krishna, literally translates to "cow-protector Krishna" or "Krishna the cowherd". While traditionally used for both genders, it's more commonly used as a male name, especially within the Indian diaspora and communities.

Gopala Krishna (Sanskrit: गोपालकृष्ण, romanized: Gopālakṛṣṇa, lit. 'cow-protector Krishna') refers to a form of the Hindu deity Krishna, as featured in the Harivamsha and the Puranas. The narratives of Gopala Krishna are set in the cowherd settlement of the Vraja region called Gokulam, where he is raised by his foster-parents, Nanda and Yashoda.

Historically one of the earliest forms of worship in Krishnaism, it is believed to be a key element of the early history of the worship of Krishna. This tradition is considered separate from the associated traditions of Bala Krishna and Radha Krishna, that led to amalgamation under Bhagavatism at a later stage of historical development.

The Raslila (Sanskrit: रासलीला, romanized: Rāsalīlā), also rendered the Rasalila or the Ras dance, is part of a traditional story described in Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana and Gita Govinda, where Krishna dances with Radha and the gopis of Braj. Rasalila has also been a popular theme for other India classical dances including Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Manipuri Raas Leela, Kuchipudi, and Kathak.

The Indian classical dance of Kathak and Manipuri rasalila are evolved from the rasalila of Braj. Kathak, also known as Natwari Nritya, was revived in the 1960s by the Kathak dancer, Uma Sharma.

Western Uttar Pradesh is a region in India that comprises the western districts of Uttar Pradesh, including the Upper Doab, Rohilkhand and Braj areas, where languages like Hindi, Urdu and Braj are spoken. The largest city of the region is Ghaziabad, while the second-largest city, Agra, is a major tourist destination.

It is in the region of Western Uttar Pradesh that Hindi-Urdu originated. The region has some demographic, economic and cultural patterns that are distinct from other parts of Uttar Pradesh, and more closely resemble those of Haryana and Rajasthan states.

Nuh district, formerly known as the Mewat district, is one of the 22 districts of the northern Indian state of Haryana. The district is known for having the largest Muslim population in Haryana. It lies within the National Capital Region as well as the historical Mewat region and Braj region of India.

It has an area of 1,860 square kilometres (720 sq mi) and had a population of 1.09 million in 2011. It is bounded by Gurugram district to the north, Palwal district of Haryana to the east, Deeg and Alwar districts to the south and the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan to the west. There are four sub-divisions in this district: Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka, Punahana, and Taoru.

Nanda or Nandagopa (Sanskrit: नन्द, IAST: Nanda) is a cow-herd chief in Hindu mythology, who is the foster-father of Krishna. He is featured in the Hindu texts Harivaṃśa and the Puranas. Nanda is the son of Parjanya, a ruler of the Braj region, who is a son of Devamidha. According to sources He was Cowherd and the chief of Gokulam which was one of the powerful mandals of the Yadavas. He is Also referred to as Mandaladhish or a king of Gokulam.

According to sources Vasudeva and Nanda were Brothers, while there are also sources which state the two being step-brothers and good friends. Vasudeva takes his newborn son, Krishna, to Nanda on the night of the child's birth, so that Nanda could raise him and to protect new born Krishna from his maternal uncle Kamsa. The chief, who is married to Yashoda, brings up both Krishna, and his brother, Balarama. Krishna derives his epithet Nandanandana (son of Nanda) from him.

The Puṣṭimārga, also known as Pushtimarg (Path of Nourishing or Flourishing) or Vallabha Sampradāya, is a Hindu Vaiṣṇava saṁpradāya. It was established in the early 16th century by Vallabha (1479–1530) and further developed by his descendants, particularly his son Viṭṭhalanātha. Followers of the Puṣṭimārga worship Kr̥ṣṇa and engage in devotional practices centered around the youthful Kr̥ṣṇa as depicted in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and the pastimes at Govardhan Hill.

The Puṣṭimārga sect follows the Śuddhadvaita philosophy of Vallabha. According to this philosophy, Kr̥ṣṇa is considered the supreme deity and the source of everything. The human soul is believed to be imbued with Kr̥ṣṇa's divine light, and spiritual liberation is thought to result from Kr̥ṣṇa's grace. The sect worships Kr̥ṣṇa through sevā, a practice in which his images or svarūpas ("self forms") are served and entertained with food, drink, music, and art, recreating his daily routine as a youth in Braj.

Vallabha, also known as Vallabhācārya or Vallabha Dīkṣita (May 7, 1478 – July 7, 1530 CE), was the founder of the Kr̥ṣṇa-centered Puṣṭimārga sect of Vaishnavism, and propounded the philosophy of Śuddhādvaita.

His biography is depicted in several sectarian Puṣṭimārga hagiographies. Born into a Telugu Brahmin family, Vallabha studied Hindu philosophy from early age, then traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly the Braj (Vraja) region, for over 20 years. He became one of the important leaders of the devotional Bhakti movement. He won many philosophical scholarly debates against the followers of Advaita Vedānta. He began the institutional worship of Śrī Nāthajī on Govardhana Hill. He acquired many followers in the Gangetic plain and Gujarat. After his death, the leadership of his sampradāya passed to his elder son Gopīnātha.