Question

Bishnoi community people lost their lives protecting
(a) Khejri trees
(b) Sal trees
(c) Pinus trees
(d) Teak trees

Answer 1

Hint: The Bishnoi community is a Hindu community that originated in Rajasthan. It is known for its peaceful co-existence with nature. In 1731 a large number of people lost their lives in protecting trees that were sacred to them.

Complete answer:
In 1730 AD, The King of Jodhpur wanted to build a new palace and so he ordered his ministers to arrange for wood. The minister and workers went to the forest of a nearby village, Khejrali to cut trees for collecting wood for the palace.The village was inhabited by the Bishnois.They were against the cutting of Khejri trees which they considered as sacred. A local woman named Amrita Devi Bishnoi protested against it. She was even bribed but she refused it. The tree mattered to her more than her life. She was ready to give her life while saving the trees and so she showed exemplary courage and hugged a tree and dared the king’s men to cut her first before cutting the trees.Sadly, the king’s men cut down the tree along with her. Her two daughters were also killed. When the news went across the village, a meeting was held. The other villagers also started hugging trees to protect them but the king’s men didn’t stop. They continued cutting trees and killing people who came in between. When the news reached the king he ordered that no more trees should be cut but sadly almost 363 Bishnois were killed in the incident.

Additional Information: Blackbucks are also considered sacred by the Bishnois. They consider it to be the incarnation of their religious guru, Guru Bhagwan Jambeshwar known as Jambaji.
Since 2001, the Amrita Devi Bishnoi award has been given for significant contribution in the field of wildlife protection.
So the correct answer is ‘(a) Khejri trees’.

Note: Although Blackbucks are also considered sacred by the Bishnois, they had lost their lives in protecting the Khejri trees back in 1731.
This incident was the inspiration behind the Chipko movement that happened in the Chamoli district of Uttar Pradesh (Now, Uttarakhand) which involved hugging trees to protect them.