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            The Bishnois are known as the conservationists to whom the preservation of animal and vegetable life is a religion and has been so from the early 15th century. Their spiritual mentor, Guru Jambheshwar was an ecologist. He formulated Bis (twenty) + noi (nine) = Bishnoi tenets from which the community derives its name. Almost 90 per cent of the farmers of Desert region gladly accepted the 29 tenets he laid down. The tenets were tailored to conserve bio-diversity of the area but also ensured a healthy Eco-friendly social life for the community. Out of the 29 tenets, 10 are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health, seven for healthy social behavior, and five tenets to worship God. Eight tenets have been prescribed to preserve bio-diversity and encourage good animal husbandry. These include a ban on killing animals and felling green trees, and providing protection to all life forms. The community is also directed to see that the firewood they use is devoid of small insects. Wearing blue cloths is prohibited because the dye for coloring them is obtained by cutting a large quantity of shrubs.


 


Jambho Ji prescribed 29 golden commandments or rules, an eclectic collection of wisdom distilled from the best of religious and social practices across the world, for one to be called as Bishnoi.  So powerful, logical and simple were his teachings that people from all races and creeds, including Moslems, embraced it to form the basis of Bishnoi religion. In a cast ridden Indian society, where forced conversions was the buzzword of the time, this fusion, of different opinions emanating from people of different religions, in a reverse direction was nothing less than a miracle.  29 commandments {20 (Bis in Hindi) + 9 (No in Hindi)}, not only provided a basis for naming of the newly found religion, Bishnoi, but also acted as a reference guide for millions to live in complete harmony with their environment and establish a symbiotic relationship with nature.

 


HISTORY

Various census of India Bishnoi are found in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, MP and UP. Bishnois were founded by a Rajput of Bikaner, who was born in 1541 A.D, and was therefore a contemporary of BabaNanak, the originator of Sikhism, and is buried in Talwa/Mukam in Bikaner. His spiritual name was Jambhaji. He left his followers a scripture in the Nagri character called Shabdwani. The adherents of the sect are the descendants of immigrants from Bikaner and are almost exclusive Jats and Rajputs by caste, though they often abandon the caste name and describe themselves simple as Bisnois. They marry only among themselves, are good cultivators, and keep camels in large numbers. They have a ceremony of initiations, somewhat similar and known by the name as that of Sikhs. Beside this there were followers from many other castes like vaishyas like agarwals and guptas which are found mainly in UP and there main occupation is business.

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