Khejri Tree Memorial

The Bishnoi are famed for their martyrism for saving trees marked for felling by the maharaja. In 1730 a Bishnoi woman, Amritdevi, clung to one those trees and was killed by the maharaja's troupes. After 362 other villagers who followed her example were also killed, the maharaja abandoned his plan to fell the trees. Today a grove of Khejri trees and a temple stand as a memorial to this collective sacrifice.

The Khejri Tree

The Bishnoi tribes live in the desert regions around Jodhpur. It is an arid and semi-arid zone with sparse vegetation, scrub land, and little water. In spite of this landscape, this desert area has the world's highest density of human and animal populations compared to other deserts. To survive here and make an adequate way of life, people have learned to conserve the fragile ecosystem. The sacred Khejri tree, which has a deep root system and is extremely drought resistant, has many uses. Its thorny branches are cut and used as barriers to keep animals away from crops, the leaves are dried and used for fodder, and its bean-like fruit can be eaten ripe or unripe. The wood is used to make furniture and the branches are burned for fuel.

The Bishnoi Faith

The Bishnoi faith (or cult) was established in the 15th century by Guru Jambhoji. He outlined 29 conservation principles (some of which were strictly taboo--like raising sheep and goats) to preserve grassland, woods and soil. The name Bishnoi, which means 29, came from these 29 principles. The Bishnoi villages in the desert have emerged as centers of superior harvests and productive cattle husbandry. The Bishnoi have also sustained the habitats of many desert flora and fauna.

Our group poses in front of the memorial trees with our local guides, Mr. Pradeep Kumar Bishnoi (second from right) and his wife (second from left).

Source:
Brochure given to us by Cross Cultural Solutions.