BISHNOI MOVEMENT OF KHEJARLI: A SOCIO-CULTURAL ANALYSIS

This paper analyses the role of the Bishnoi community in protection of the environment, focusing on wild life and vegetation. It also describes the principles of Bishnoism which are related with conservation and protection of environment and wild life. The Bishnoi community is one of the first organized supporters of environment conservation, wildlife protection and green living. The Bishnoi community is considered as the first environmentalist community in India. Their shared community knowledge, intellectual property of the community and their social education based on the community history has always been associated with preservation of environment. For Centuries, the faith of the Bishnoi community has been intertwined with principles of eco-conservation, thereby making their lived geographies very relevant in today’s growing environmental consciousness. The paper highlights the role of Amrita Devi Bishnoi in the Khejarli Movement. Lastly this paper describes the Bishnoi movement and concludes that Bishnoism can be considered as a pioneer community in the field of environment conservation.