At Khejarli in 1730, the Bishnois led by Amrita Devi gave their lives to protect which tree?
- A.Khejri
- B.Banyan
- C.Sandalwood
- D.Teak
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, khejri. Khejri, the Prosopis cineraria of the Thar, is the tree the Bishnois hold sacred, and it is the state tree of Rajasthan. In 1730 men sent by the Jodhpur state came to Khejarli village to cut khejri trees to fire a lime kiln for a palace. Amrita Devi clasped a tree and was cut down, and hundreds of Bishnois from the surrounding villages did the same one after another until the cutting was called off.
Option B is wrong because the banyan is revered across India but is not the Khejarli tree. Option C is wrong because sandalwood belongs to the dry deciduous tracts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Option D is wrong because teak is a plantation timber of central India. The Khejarli story is also the acknowledged ancestor of the Chipko method of embracing trees.
Read the full article: Sacred Groves and Community Conservation: Exam Notes
Practice Questions
View allSacred groves are known as Kavu in which state of India?
- A.Kerala
- B.Karnataka
- C.Odisha
- D.Manipur
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In Kerala a sacred grove is called a Kavu, and a grove kept for the serpent deities, which almost every old family compound of the state once had, is called a Sarpa Kavu.
Read the full explanation →The sacred groves called Orans are a feature of which state?
- A.Gujarat
- B.Rajasthan
- C.Haryana
- D.Madhya Pradesh
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An Oran is a patch of desert vegetation in western Rajasthan dedicated to a folk deity, made up of khejri, kair, jaal and rohida trees and the grass between them.
Read the full explanation →The famous Mawphlang sacred forest, kept by the Lyngdoh clan, is in which state?
- A.Nagaland
- B.Mizoram
- C.Meghalaya
- D.Tripura
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Mawphlang lies in the Khasi hills south of Shillong and is the best known sacred grove of India.
Read the full explanation →The founder of the Bishnoi sect, whose twenty nine rules forbid the felling of green trees, was:
- A.Guru Jambheshwar
- B.Sant Pipa
- C.Dhanna Bhagat
- D.Jasnath Ji
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Jambheshwar, known affectionately as Jambhoji, founded the Bishnoi sect in 1485 in the Bikaner desert. He laid down twenty nine rules of conduct, and the name Bishnoi comes from bis, twenty, and noi, nine.
Read the full explanation →Which amendment introduced conservation reserves and community reserves as categories of protected area in India?
- A.The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 1991
- B.The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
- C.The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002
- D.The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
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Until then the Act of 1972 knew only national parks and sanctuaries, both of which need state ownership and control.
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