363 Bishnois sacrificed their lives to avoid wasting timber.
“Sir Santay Runkh Rahe To Bhi Sasti Jaan (A severed head is cheaper than a cut tree)”…. Nowadays, most of us are harming the setting for our personal profit, however precisely 294 years in the past, 363 individuals misplaced their lives to avoid wasting a tree. 11 September 1730 is the date which, together with being recorded within the pages of historical past, can be deeply embedded within the minds of each particular person of Bishnoi neighborhood and individuals who defend the setting.
On September 11, in Khejharli or Khejdli village of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 363 individuals, together with Lawrence Bishnoi’s ancestor Amrita Devi and her three daughters, misplaced their lives by being reduce by a Khejri tree. In such a state of affairs, it’s due to the ancestors of Lawrence Bishnoi that yearly September 11 is well known as National Forest Martyrs’ Day in India.
Gave up my life for nature
The Bishnoi neighborhood’s unwavering love for nature got here into public limelight when the gangster Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed that it killed Baba Siddiqui due to his relationship with actor Salman Khan. Salman was accused of searching two black bucks in the course of the taking pictures of the movie ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ in Rajasthan in 1998, for which the Lawrence Bishnoi gang remains to be taking revenge. Due to the killing of this black buck, Salman Khan is on the goal of Bishnoi gang. In such a state of affairs, tell us what occurred on that day 300 years in the past when Lawrence Bishnoi’s ancestors gave up their lives with none hesitation and why his legacy continues for Lawrence Bishnoi even immediately?
What was the explanation?
According to legend, in 1730, Jodhpur in Rajasthan was dominated by Marwar king Abhay Singh. Abhay Singh is planning to construct a palace for himself. Girls had been wanted to construct the palace. However, within the Thar Desert space of Rajasthan, a lot of the land is barren, attributable to which there are much less timber.
In such a state of affairs, the king requested his staff underneath the management of the prince of the state, Girdhari Das Bhandari, to chop Khejri (Prosopis cinerea) and produce it. There had been many Khejadi timber in Khejadli village. These are evergreen timber, that are thought of the lifeline of the desert. Khejarli village was a village of Bishnoi neighborhood. The roots of the Khejri tree repair nitrogen within the setting, which makes the soil fertile.
When Amrita Devi Bishnoi got here to find out about this, she hugged herself to a tree alongside along with her three daughters. Cutting inexperienced and fertile timber is prohibited in Bishnoi faith. In such a state of affairs, Amrita Devi protested fiercely in opposition to the king’s troopers, as a result of the actions of the troopers weren’t solely destroying the sacred tree of her village however had been additionally hurting her faith. When the individuals of Khejarli village got here to find out about Amrita Devi’s protest, additionally they reached there.
Also, individuals of Bishnoi neighborhood from close by villages got here in teams and began clinging to the timber one after the other. In such a state of affairs, that day 363 individuals from 83 villages of Bishnoi neighborhood had gone to avoid wasting the timber.
king’s order
Although the troopers had orders from the king. In such a state of affairs, he was not impressed by the conduct of Bishnoi neighborhood. Ignoring the protests of the villagers, he additionally beheaded the Bishnoi villagers earlier than chopping the timber. Overall, 363 members of the Bishnoi neighborhood had been martyred that day within the Khejarli forest, which included ladies, males and youngsters.
In such a state of affairs, when Raja Abhay Singh received details about this bloodbath within the village, he felt very unhappy and drowned in repentance. The king instantly went to the village and stopped the troopers from chopping timber and prohibited harming the timber and animals there. This regulation remains to be relevant on this space even immediately.
Apart from this, in reminiscence of these 363 Bishnoi martyrs, many acacia timber had been planted within the space. It is claimed that these timber are nonetheless there. His sacrifice can be preserved in a memorial within the village. Also, the names of these 363 individuals are engraved there and there’s a statue of Amrita Devi on the highest of the memorial.
Why do Bishnois defend crops and animals?
This Bishnoi neighborhood (Bishnoi History) was based by Guru Maharaj Jambaji in 1485 AD within the desert area of Marwar in western Rajasthan. There was frequent drought in that space. The residents of the realm had been constantly chopping timber to feed their animals. In such a state of affairs, when Jambaji noticed that the extent of drought was rising and extra deaths had been happening, he defined to his devotees that if we wish to save the animals and the setting, we must save the timber additionally.
Jambaji launched its 29 precepts or precepts, nearly all of which relate to nature conservation. In such a state of affairs, even immediately the general public of Bishnoi neighborhood comply with the trail proven by their ancestors. All Bishnois are taught to like nature since childhood. Animals are like youngsters to them. Bishnoi comply with Hindu faith, however don’t cremate their lifeless as a result of timber need to be reduce to mild the hearth.
Salman Khan was accused of searching blackbuck in 1998, when Lawrence Bishnoi was a baby. However, Bishnoi learns to preserve animals and crops since childhood. In such a state of affairs, a adverse angle in direction of Salman Khan developed in Lawrence’s thoughts from that very second. After changing into a gangster, Salman has turn out to be the principle goal of his life.
‘Don’t need cash’
In an interview, Lawrence Bishnoi had mentioned, “We are not looking for cash. We simply need him (Salman Khan) to go to the temple of our neighborhood and apologize to us. He insulted our whole neighborhood by searching blackbuck. Although Salman was reluctant to apologize at the moment. In this case, Salman was initially sentenced to 5 years in jail, however he was later launched on bail.
