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Khejarli massacre day in Rajasthan

Shaukat Ahmed

Women plant a tree on Khejdli sacrifice day (Khejadi Balidan Diwas) in Badmer, Rajasthan. 363 Bishnoi men and women sacrificed their lives for the protection of Khejri trees at a place called 'Khejadli', which is located in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. Such martyrdom for the sake of trees has not been seen anywhere else in the world in 1730 AD, then Maharaja Abhay Singh of the princely state of Jodhpur thought of building a new palace. Wood was needed for construction work, on the behest of Minister Girdhar Das Bhandari, soldiers were sent to Khejadli village to cut trees. The Bishnoi people of the village were taking care of the Khejri trees, they could not bear that any one Khejri should be cut. Due to the strong opposition of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, her husband Ramu Ji and their daughters, the soldiers were forced to roll for the first time, but again Girdhar Das Bhandari reached the village of Khejdali with the entire Lashkar, but by then the Bishnoi trees of Khejdali and 84 villages around it had gathered there to protect.