[1] Ecologically, the character of Braj has drastically changed in the last 200 years, with a heavy decline in the number of wild animals along with deforestation.

Writing in the late 1980s, Entwistle noted there were only a few groves left in the region, and that many sacred sites were being encroached upon by human agricultural settlements.

The Braj Yatra circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th-century sadhus of the vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals.

Braj has two main types of pilgrimage circuits, the traditional longer Braj Yatra encompassing the whole circuit, and the other shorter significantly modified contemporary point-to-point pilgrimage to visit the main sites at Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Govardhan.

The former, longer traditional pilgrimage route, also includes additional sacred sites Nandgaon and Barsana with travel on foot.