The Bishnoi community has been in the talks and the public eye for a while now but for the wrong reasons. After the blackbuck case of the actor Salman Khan, the Bishnois have turned all furious towards the actor and he has been receiving death threats and sadly even was confronted in real life by the imprisoned gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
But why is this community all raged up against the actor?
The reason is, the Bishnoi community has an undefined love for wildlife. There are several pictures and videos of Bishnoi women, where one can see them feeding baby animals off their breasts. Bishnoi people believe that it is their job to save and protect the region’s wildlife. The members of Bishnoi community are said to have caught him red-handed; protests from the community forced the authorities to arrest and try him. In 2023, the gangster threatened to kill Khan if he didn't apologise to the Bishnoi community for killing the blackbucks.
Origin of the community dates back to the 15th century. These people follow the steps of Guru Jambheshwar, who was a visionary saint and the founder of the Bishnoi sect. He came up with 29 Niyams (principles), which taught them about the way of living. The word Bishnoi is derived from 'bis' and 'noi'. In the local language, 'Bis' means '20’ and 'Noi' means '9’. When both are added, the sum is 29.
Of his 29 Niyamas, ten are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health, seven for healthy social behaviour, and four tenets to the worship of God. Many of the rules pertain to protecting animals, of which Shabad 9 says "Jeeva upper jorkarije, Antkal Hoysibharu”, meaning “if you are showing your power on animals, your end time will be painful", as explained in the research paper Involvement of Bishnoi community for biodiversity conservation in desert landscape of Rajasthan (India).
Eight Niyamas have been prescribed to preserve bio-diversity and encourage good animal husbandry. Since, the community has immense respect and love for animals they follow vegetarianism.
One of their most famous beliefs of this community is protection of trees—particularly the Khejri tree, which they regard as sacred.
The Bishnoi community is an environmentally conscious and spiritually rooted group with deep traditions of wildlife protection, vegetarianism, and simple living.
