Rajasthan Villages - Bishnoi

Guda Bishnoi Village is located at a distance of 25 kilometers from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. Khejri tree groves, deer herds, peacocks and migratory birds make it a serene location.

The Bishnois derive their name from bish, which means twenty, and noi, which means nine, and they are believed to be the pioneers of the green movement in the world

The huts of Guda Bishnoi Village are neat and clean and the people lead a vegetarian lifestyle. They believe in conserving the natural environment.

Bishnoi carpenters never cut trees. They wait for trees to die on their own or fall down during storms.

The inhabitants of Guda Bishnoi Village pray to Lord Vishnu and bury their dead to show their faith in secular existence.

The varied species in Guda Bishnoi Village include blackbucks, antelopes, chinkaras, peacocks and even cranes. Gazelles are commonly available in the Jodhpur district where they are worshipped by the Bishnoi tribes

The blackbuck is also a much-worshiped animal among the Bishnoi tribes who inhabit the area. Many men of this community have died in their efforts to oppose armed poaching gangs. The Bishnoi bury Chinkara that die and erect stones to mark their graves. A community stock up is maintained by the Bishnois to feed the blackbuck

Tribal color and rural cultural grandeur best describes the Guda Bishnoi Village. Bishnois also have a strange interconnection between death and festivity. Whenever the head of a family dies, all unmarried girls, regardless of their age, are married off on the 12th day after death.

There are manmade lakes located in the Guda Bishnoi Village where migratory birds stop and drink water.

The tribes of Guda Bishnoi village respect nature in all its forms. They make every effort to conserve the environment.

The Bishnois have contributed more to environment and wildlife protection than the entire country put together. They have learnt, with time and severities, how to take care of nature and grow with it instead of exploiting it.