- 3 - INTRODUCTION During the period of the IAVRI Research Project the opportunity was taken to initiate a programme of photographic documentation of the Braj area. The intention was not merely to photograph historical sites and religious activities related specifically to Vaisnava sectarian history and literature, but to build up a collection of photographs which would give a comprehensive picture of the social and cultural life of Braj. Between January 1976 and March 1978 over 4,500 photographs were taken and subsequently classified at the Vrindaban Research Institute using a card- index system. The photographs were taken on 35 mm. film, either in the form of negatives (for prints in colour or black and white) or as colour slides. The list below gives the numbers and brief descriptions of over two thousand colour slides which form part of the collection of photographs classified to date. The photographs have been classified using various headings and categories which are indicated by the photo number. The first letter of the photo number refers to the heading under which the slides and negatives have been classified (T for temples, S for sites, F for festivals etc.). The second letter denotes whether the photograph was taken in Braj or outside the area (B and 0 respectively). Braj, never having been a political entity, has no strictly defined boundaries. Culturally and linguistically Braj extends beyond the limits of the present Mathura District. For the purposes of documentation Braj was taken to be the area incorporating the places on the route of the ban yatra (or trail of sites associated with Krsna's life in Braj) and extending slightly beyond it. This is where the traditions and dialect of Braj are found at their strongest and purest. The term 'Braj' is therefore taken to refer to the area of flat terrain stretching from Hathras in the east to the hills of Rajasthan which begin west of Deeg and Kaman, and between the boundaries of Haryana in the north and Agra District in the south. Photographs taken outside of Braj have been included where they were considered to be relevant or of interest. After the letters used to denote the heading under which a photograph has been classified there appears a number which indicates the category to which it has been assigned. This number is followed by a decimal point after which is given the accession number of the photograph. A list of the headings and categories in which colour slides appear is given at the end of the introduction, and after the list of slides is an index of terms and proper names which will help in the location of subjects which appear in more than one category or context. Temples have been arranged according to the deity to whom they are dedicated. In the case of Krsna temples the number was so large that a further division into sects was necessary (Gaudiya, Nimbarka, Radhavallabha, Vallabha etc.). Those Krsna temples with no particular sectarian affiliation have been classified under the category TB 11. Some temples have been referred to by the names by which they are more commonly known (e.g. Jaipurwala, Sahji etc.) rather than by the name of the deity they house. Photographs of the architecture and deities of the temples are classified together while activities, festivals, and people connected with the temples have been placed in their respective categories.