It is estimated that an average of 50 million pilgrims visit the ​​Braj Mandal area annually either during the main mahotsav (festivals), for pradakshina (circumambulation) of the holy places, to receive darshan from the thakujis (deities) and lila-sthan of Sri Krishna (pastime places) or take snan (holy bath) in the Yamuna river or in the different lakes and lakes in the region. If each of the visitors participated even just once in cleaning and protecting the Braj, we would certainly achieve keeping it as an example of salubrity and ecology. If you are one of the millions of pilgrims, examine the different ways you can make a conscious visit to the dham and Act Now! for Braj Vrindavan.

Act Now and make your preparations in advance for your pilgrimage to the Braj Mandal!
– Study the history of the Braj Mandal, the sacred sites, pastimes and temples. This will certainly make your pilgrimage a unique experience. It is most important to be informed of the relevance of the place and to know the basic formality that you should have while visiting the holy dham.
– Find out about the actual condition of the many pilgrimage places in the area and about the organizations that are offering their service for protecting Braj.

Act Now and visit the Braj Mandal as a conscious pilgrim!
– Keep a proper attitude during your pilgrimage; remember that Braj Mandal is a sacred area and that only by visiting it your soul will be full of many blessings.
– Walk, don’t come to Braj in big cars or trucks that block the traffic and contaminate. Park your car or bus in the outskirts of the sacred places and ride in the cities in electric rikshas or bicycles (the BVAN team has submitted a proposal to improve traffic conditions in Vrindavan, you may take a look here)
– Free yourself from a tourist and consumerism mindset during your visit to Braj Mandal. Take this trip as an opportunity to live the simple way of life that allows you to increase your consciousness and go into deep meditation and prayer. (Simple life high thinking the sages say).
– Make your puja or worship being conscious of the current environmental situation of Braj Mandal. This means that you should completely avoid using plastic bags or plastic wrapping for fruit, flowers or offerings. Bhagavan (God) appreciates the simplicity and naturalness of your offering rather than modern plastic which contaminates Bhumi Mata (Mother Earth).
– Remember not to throw plastic waste or any contaminating remains while taking the snan (bath) in the Yamuna or in the lakes and lagoons of the area. These are sacred places and are completely pure, but that does not mean that the plastic waste we throw will disintegrate magically.
– Meditate in Braj dham as the home of Sri Krishna himself and exert yourself in keeping it clean and tidy.

Act Now and help keep the Braj clean and green!
– Always keep your own metal eating utensils (plate and cup). Use them every time you honor prasad(consecrated food) during your pilgrimage. If you are offered food in plastic containers, kindly show your metal containers and explain to your hosts the harmful effects of plastic for the Braj Mandal.
– Avoid buying bottled water as much as you can. Always carry your own bottle and fill it with drinking water in the properly signaled areas (most of the temples have places for this).
– Don’t buy packaged food while in the Braj Mandal. Take this opportunity to have prasad offered in the temples, this purifies your heart and helps keep the Braj Mandal free from plastic waste.
– Make sure that every place you visit is completely clean after you leave.
– Organize a cleanup rounds with your pilgrimage group or your family. As soon as you reach the sacred place offer your obeisance and ask for blessings to be able to do your cleaning tasks. Collect all the garbage you can and afterwards place it on containers or big bags and coordinate with the temple authorities to take the garbage to a proper dumping ground. Afterwards take the snan and head to the darshan. You will be surprised how intense your visit becomes after you have cleaned the place.
– Be careful of where you leave your garbage. Remember that millions of pilgrims visit Braj Mandal annually, if each one throws their garbage in the streets, the city would be heavily contaminated for sure. Use the respective garbage bins.
– Participate in planting trees and support a reforestation programs of organizations that serve the dham. (More information here)
– Do not defecate or urinate in public places, use the places signaled for this. (We know it is not your case, but many pilgrims still do, needless to say, it is just a small reminder)

Act Now and become a permanent protector of the Braj Mandal and Bhumi Mata!
– Protect the resources of the earth and reduce excessive use of electrical light, fans and other appliances during your visit to Braj Mandal (and in your daily life as well).
– Become motivated to learn more about the different organizations that are serving Braj Mandal in different ways. You can become a member and adopt a sacred site to protect or simply support them with a donation. (You can find the list of places here)
– Have a protective attitude towards the environment even when you return home. Bhumi Mata gives us everything we need us sustain ourselves (food, water, air) but we haven’t learned to reciprocate.
– Share our project (and other projects related to the Braj Mandal) in the social media. Look us up in Facebook.
– Find sponsors who can contribute to the improvement of the Braj Mandal.
– Share these teachings with others and learn more about a sustainable and ecological living.