In 1730, the King of Jodhpur ordered to cut down a forest of Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) — a desert tree which the Bishnoi consider divine — for wood to build his palace. The Bishnois hugged each tree in the forest, and 363 of them allowed themselves to be cut with the trees before the king relented. “Our community was founded by Jambaji, or Jambeshwar Bhagawan, who formed a religion of peace based on 29 (bish: Twenty; noi: Nine) principles that included compassion for all living beings, cleanliness, devotion, vegetarian diet and truthfulness,”

Felling trees is against Bishnoi ethics. Instead, they use dung cakes for fuel, and wait patiently until a tree dies to obtain wood in order to make doors for their houses.

The black bucks, chinkaras and blue bulls graze freely, often on standing crops that can be grown only in the four months of rain (but have to last the entire year).