Saints
Guru Jambheshwar and the 29 Principles of the Bishnoi Community
Five centuries before the word "environmentalism" existed, Guru Jambheshwar taught his followers to protect every tree and animal. Meet the founder of the Bishnoi faith.
In the deserts of western Rajasthan lives a community famous for protecting trees and wild animals with their lives. They are the Bishnois, and their teacher was Guru Jambheshwar, lovingly called Jambhoji.
Life of Guru Jambheshwar
Jambhoji was born in 1451 in Pipasar village, in today's Nagaur district of Rajasthan. As a young man he spent years as a cowherd, watching the harsh desert and the people who struggled through drought. In 1485, at Samrathal Dhora near Bikaner, he founded the Bishnoi Panth and gave his followers a simple, practical way of life.
From our 8-part series on Guru Jambheshwar Maharaj.
Why "Bishnoi"? The 29 principles
The name is often explained as bis (twenty) + noi (nine): the community follows 29 principles. Among them:
- Do not cut green trees
- Be compassionate to all living beings and protect animals
- Eat vegetarian food and avoid intoxicants such as alcohol, tobacco and opium
- Bathe every morning and keep the body and home clean
- Speak the truth, practise forgiveness and control anger
- Avoid theft, slander and needless arguments
- Remember God and pray every morning and evening
The sacrifice at Khejarli
In 1730, soldiers came to cut khejri trees in the village of Khejarli near Jodhpur. Amrita Devi Bishnoi hugged a tree and refused to let go. She and 363 Bishnois gave their lives before the cutting was stopped. Their courage later inspired the Chipko movement, and India's Amrita Devi Bishnoi Wildlife Protection Award is named after her.
A message for our times
Clean water, living trees and kindness to animals: Jambhoji's teachings sound modern because the problems they answer are timeless. Planting one tree or caring for one animal is a small way to honour him.
