Sacred groves are losing patronage in Rajasthan.
Standing on the land where Amrita Devi and 362 others from the Bishnoi community sacrificed their lives some 300 years ago while protecting khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees, I wonder what could have prompted them to do so. Then I am told that the thorny tree, one of the few evergreens in the middle of the Thar desert, supports rural economy like no other wild vegetation does. Its protein-rich fruit is relished as a vegetable, sangria, and sold as a cash crop. Its dead leaves act as natural feritliser and are fed to the cattle to improve milk yield. The tree is also valued for timber and firewood. Traditionally it remained protected in the sacred groves, or orans, of the Bishnois—a sect founded in the 15th century by Guru Jambeshwar whose tenets provide protection to plants as well as animals. So in 1730, when the King of Jodhpur Abhay Singh sent his men to the orans of Khejarli village, now in Luni block of Jodhpur, to get khejri wood for burning lime required for the construction of his new palace, Amrita Devi stood between the axe and the tree, saying: “Sar Santeria rage to bhi sasto jaan (If a tree is saved at the cost of one’s head, it’s worth it).”
Today, the area bears no semblance to an oran. “There is absolutely no restriction on felling the tree for firewood and timber,” says a study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (wwf)-India in 1998. Worse, 80 per cent of Khejarali residents do not know what an oran is. With practically no oran land, the concept is almost lost in Khejarli, notes the study published in the book Conserving the sacred: for biodiversity management.
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2018-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 01, 2018-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Trade On Emissions
EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a tariff on imports, is designed to protect European industries in the guise of climate action.
'The project will facilitate physical and cultural decimation of indigenous people'
The Great Nicobar Project has all the hallmarks of a disaster-seismic, ecological, human. Why did it get the go-ahead?
TASTE IT RED
Popularity of Karnataka's red jackfruit shows how biodiversity can be conserved by ensuring that communities benefit from it
MANY MYTHS OF CHIPKO
Misconceptions about the Chipko movement have overshadowed its true objectives.
The politics and economics of mpox
Africa's mpox epidemic stems from delayed responses, neglect of its health risks and the stark vaccine apartheid
Emerging risks
Even as the world gets set to eliminate substances threatening the ozone layer, climate change and space advancement pose new challenges.
JOINING THE CARBON CLUB
India's carbon market will soon be a reality, but will it fulfil its aim of reducing emissions? A report by PARTH KUMAR and MANAS AGRAWAL
Turn a new leaf
Scientists join hands to predict climate future of India's tropical forests
Festering troubles
The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles to contain mpox amid vaccine delays, conflict and fragile healthcare.
India sees unusual monsoon patterns
THE 2024 southwest monsoon has, between June 1 and September 1, led to excess rainfall in western and southern states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while others like Nagaland, Manipur and Punjab recorded a deficit.