Khejarli massacre: The story of martyrdom within the woods!

Growing up, one dedicated chapter on the determination and grit of Sundar Lal, the environmental activist from the 'Chipko Movement' forms a part of the syllabi in Indian education that all of us are aware of. While the story becomes a forgotten tale for us, now is high time, our country takes inspiration from these movements as it stands on the brink of environmental and climatic changes. One such inspiration is hidden in an intersectional movement that advocated for the environment while also showing a glimpse of the power withheld by a feminist move at a time when such words were not even known. 

One of the biggest forest massacres that ever happened in the history of India dates back to 1730 taking us to the village of Khejarli in Rajasthan where a Jodhpuri woman, Amrita Devi stood in between a Khejri tree and the men of the ruling King. Belonging to the Bishnoi community, Devi showed commitment to the principles of their sect.

It is said that this community was founded in 1451 by Guru Jambheshwar following wars between Muslim invaders and the local Hindus. Jambheshwar is believed to have had laid 29 principles for the community where in 'Bish' means 20 and 'noi' means 9. Amongst the principles, killing of animals and felling of trees were strictly banned. The community considers the blackbuck to be sacred because, before his death, the Guru had said that he would manifest as a blackbuck afterward. To this day, the community has had a long and controversial tussle with the popular actor Salman Khan over the killing of a blackbuck by his hands, showing their strong commitment to their principles.

Other than that, however, the Khejri tree, also Prosopis cineraria, is considered to be sacred by the Bishnois. It is because of this that on a Tuesday, Amrita Devi was at her home along with Asu, Ratni, and Bhagu bai, her three daughters when she got to know that a few people were descending on their village while the residents of Khejarli village were sleeping. The village had Khejri trees in abundance and the men had come to axe down the green Khejri trees on the orders of the then ruler, Maharaja Abhay Singh, who belonged to the kingdom of Jodhpur in Marwar region.

The aim was to cut the trees to burn lime so that a new palace for Maharaja could be constructed. As there was a lot of greenery only in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of the Thar Desert, the king had ordered to obtain the wood from these trees. However, upon hearing the news, Amrita Devi protested against the order and tried to stop the men from cutting the trees. Reportedly, Amrita Devi was asked to pay money as a bribe if she intended to save the trees. As a response to this, Devi stated that it was against her religious faith and rejected the demand by saying that she would rather sacrifice her life to save the trees. As per the documents, she stated: "Sar santey rookh rahe to bhi sasto jaan (It is worth it even if a tree is saved at the cost of one's head)."

Uttering these words, Devi offered her head, and the Kingsmen axed her head. Even Devi's daughters were not sacred and offered their heads too. After this incident and as the news spread in the village, the Bishnois not just gathered but also sent summons in 83 Bishnoi villages around the area to decide the next course of action. The villagers decided that for every green tree, one Bishnoi would sacrifice their life as the sacrifice of Amrita Devi and her daughters had not stopped the kingdom from cutting the trees.

It is said that many elderly people started coming and holding trees on their own. However, Gridhar Das Bhandari, who was the Hakim or the royal party's leader taunted the Bishnois for offering the old persons without their will. Soon after, the village saw many young men and women that also included the recently married ones coming ahead to sacrifice their lives. This stage also included children voluntarily coming together. 

This situation got bedlam and the royal men returned to Jodhpur without fulfilling the mission. They told the Maharaja about the situation, who, after learning the situation, ordered to stop the men from cutting the trees. However, by the time this could happen, 363 Bishnois which included young and old men and women, both married and unmarried, rich and poor had already sacrificed their lives and become forest martyrs that the Indian history could never forget.

Impact of the massacre and martyrdom 

Aiming to honour the bravery of the Bishnoi community, Maharaja  Abhay Singh apologised for the mistakes committed by his men and also issued a royal decree, which was engraved on a copper plate. The order included the following, as per reports: The cutting down of green trees and hunting down of animals that fell within the boundaries of the Bishnoi community's villages was strictly prohibited. The order also mentioned that if someone was found violating the order, the state would prosecute them and a severe penalty would be imposed on them.

The order clearly mentioned that even the royal family members would not hunt or shoot animals in and around the Bishnoi villages. In fact, the Khejarli massacre turned out to be making the Khejri tree a symbol of environmental conservation in the state of Rajasthan and the tree also became the state tree with its conservation gaining importance. It was Amrita Devi's sacrifice and strong decision that spearheaded many movements in the country and continues to inspire environmental consciousness.