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| Bishnoi
is a community of nature worshippers in the state
of Rajasthan, India.
They also have a sizeable presence in the neighboring
states of Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi. |
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ORIGIN
OF THE BISHNOIS |
The sect was founded
by Guru Jambheshwar (b. 1451) after
wars between Muslim invaders and local
Hindus. He had laid down 29
principles to be followed by the
sect. Bish means 20 and noi means
9. Thus, Bishnoi
translates as Twenty-niners.
Killing animals and felling trees
were banned. Before his death, he
has stated that the black buck was
his manifestation after death and
should be conserved.
The Khejri
tree (Prosopis cineraria), is also
considered to be sacred by the Bishnois. |
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LOVERS OF
WILD ANIMALS |
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Bishnois
are strong lovers of wild animals.
It is because of their protection
that in Bishnoi dominated
areas, deer and antelope(such as blue
bulls, black bucks, chinkaras and
chowsinghas) are seen grazing peacefully
in their fields.
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AMRITA
DEVI AND THE KHEJARLI MASSACRE |
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The origins of
the Chipko movement can be traced
back to the Bishnois.
On a Tuesday (The 10th day of the
month of Bhadrapad according to the
Indian lunar Calendar) in 1730 A.D.,
Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi
woman was at her home with her three
daughters (Asu, Ratni and Bhagu bai)
when she came to know that a number
of people had descended on their otherwise
sleepy village of Khejarli.
The name Khejarli
was derived from "Khejri",
since these trees were found in abundance
in the village.The people were a party
of men sent by Maharaja Abhay Singh,
the ruler of the kingdom of Jodhpur
in the Marwar region,
who wanted to fell green Khejri trees
to burn lime for the construction
of the Maharaja's new palace. Since
there was a lot of greenery in the
Bishnoi villages
even in the middle of the Thar Desert,
the king ordered his men to get the
wood by cutting the Khejri trees.
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THE MARTYRDOM
OF AMRITA DEVI |
Amrita Devi protested
against the Maharaja's men who were
attempting to cut green trees as it
was prohibited according to
Bishnoi principles. The malevolent
feudal party told her that if she
wanted the trees to be spared, she
would have to give them money as bribe.
She refused to acknowledge this demand
and told them that she would consider
it as an act of insult to her religious
faith and would rather give away her
life to save the green trees. It is
at that stage she spoke these words:
Sar santey rookh rahe to bhi sasto
jaan (If a tree is saved even
at the cost of one's head, it's worth
it)
Saying these words, she offered her
head. The axes, which were brought
to cut the trees, severed her head.
The three young girls Asu, Ratni and
Bhagu were not daunted, and offered
their heads too.
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THE
KHEJRALI MASSACRE |
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The news spread
like wildfire. The Bishnois
of Khejrali gathered and
sent summons to their counterparts
in eighty-three Bishnoi
villages in the vicinity to come and
decide on the next course of action.
Since the supreme sacrifice by Amrita
Devi and her daughters had not satisfied
the royal party, and the felling of
green trees was continued, it was
decided that for every green tree
to be cut One Bishnoi,
volunteer would sacrifice his/ her
life. In the beginning, old people
voluntarily started holding the trees
to be cut in an embrace as in the
20th Century Chipko Movement.
Despite many valiant old persons, giving
away their lives, the Hakim
(the royal party's leader) , Girdhar
Das Bhandari, taunted the Bishnois
that they were offering unwanted old
persons. Soon, young men, women (including
recently married ones) and children
were sacrificing themselves in a similar
manner.
There was intense pandemonium. The
tree-felling party was badly shakhen.
They left for Jodhpur
with their mission unfulfilled and
told the Maharaja about what had happened.
Soon as he learnt about it, he
ordered the felling of trees to be
stopped.
By that time, three hundred and sixty
three (363) Bishnois,
young and old, men and women, married
and unmarried, rich and poor, had already
become martyrs.
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TREE
FELLING BANNED |
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Honouring
the courage of the Bishnoi
community, Maharaja Abhay Singh, apologised
for the mistake
committed by his officials and issued
a royal decree, engraved on a copper
plate ordering the following:
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All
cutting of green trees and hunting
of animals within the revenue
boundaries of Bishnoi
villages was strictly
prohibited.
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It
was also ordered, that if by mistake
any individual violated this order,
he would be prosecuted by the
state and a severe penalty imposed.
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Even
members of the ruling family, would
not shoot animals in or near Bishnoi
villages.
Although,
Bishnois paid a huge price
for saving a few trees, this incident
had inspired, and will continue to
do so in future, many others to fight
and protect trees and wild life.
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TRIVIA
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Bishnois
are known to be very violent and
aggressive in protecting trees
and wildlife. It is said that
if you are a hunter, then the
worst thing that could happen
to you is to be caught hunting
by a Bishnoi.
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Unlike
most Hindu communities, Bishnois
bury their dead instead of cremating
them. This is because of the strict
prohibition on the felling of
trees, the wood of which is required
for cremation.
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In
October, 1996, Nihal Chand Bishnoi
sacrificed his life for protecting
wild animals. A film, Willing
to Sacrifice, based on his
story won the award for the Best
Environment Film at the 5th
International Festival of Films,
TV and Video Programmes held at
Bratislava, Slovakia.
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