Khejarli Shaheed Diwas (Amrita Devi & 363 Martyrs)

Amrita Devi Bishnoi and 363 Bishnoi martyrs of Khejarli (1730 CE)

Bishnoi

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Khejarli Shaheed Diwas — the annual remembrance of the 363 Bishnoi martyrs led by Amrita Devi Bishnoi, who on Bhadrapada Shukla Dashami 1730 CE laid down their lives at Khejarli village (Jodhpur, Rajasthan) to protect the sacred khejri trees from Maharaja Abhay Singh's woodcutters. Observed at the Khejarli Shaheed Smarak (memorial) and at every Bishnoi village. The world's first organized environmental sacrifice and the spiritual ancestor of the modern Chipko Movement.

Dates 2026–2027

September 21, 2026September 10, 2027

Mantra

सिर साठे रूख रहे, तो भी सस्तो जाण

Sir saanthe rookh rahe, to bhi sasto jaan

If a tree can be saved at the cost of my head, even that bargain is cheap — the deathless words of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, spoken at Khejarli on Bhadrapada Shukla Dashami 1730 CE before her beheading.

How to recite

Spend the day in remembrance and chinta-manan (reflection) on the Khejarli sacrifice. Read Amrita Devi's testimony aloud. If a khejri tree (Prosopis cineraria) grows nearby, visit it; offer water and a circumambulation. Plant a tree as your active commitment to her vow. Chant the Bishnoi mool mantra ('Vishno Vishno tu bhaje re prani') 363 times — once for each martyr. Visit the Khejarli Shaheed Smarak (memorial) near Jodhpur if you are in Marwar.

Benefits

On Bhadrapada Shukla Dashami in 1730 CE (September 12 by the Julian calendar then in use), Maharaja Abhay Singh of Jodhpur sent his minister Giridhar Bhandari with woodcutters to fell khejri trees at Khejarli for a new palace. Amrita Devi Bishnoi resisted, embracing a khejri tree and uttering the deathless words 'Sir saanthe rookh rahe, to bhi sasto jaan'. She was beheaded; her three daughters Asu, Ratni, and Bhagu followed; ultimately 363 Bishnois — men, women, children — gave their lives embracing trees before the Maharaja revoked the order, granting Bishnoi villages permanent royal protection from tree-felling and animal hunting. Khejarli is regarded as the world's first organized environmental martyrdom and the inspiration for the modern Chipko Movement (1973). Observing this Diwas renews the Bishnoi vow as guardians of all green life.

✦ Special Note

Per Drik Panchang. Bhadrapada Shukla Dashami varies by year; the historical date by the modern Gregorian calendar is September 12, 1730. The annual Khejarli Mela at the Shaheed Smarak (Khejarli, Jodhpur district) draws Bishnoi pilgrims from across India. Dates per Drik Panchang (drikpanchang.com, Rajasthan/Marwar Purnimanta reckoning); community observance details per the Akhil Bharatiya Bishnoi Mahasabha and Mukam (Muktidham Mukam) Mandir Sansthan calendars.

Foods Allowed

Light satvik foods — bajra roti, dal, fresh chaas (buttermirk)Ker-sangri sabzi — eaten in remembrance of the sacred khejri tree the martyrs gave their lives to protectFresh fruits and dry fruits (no cooking using wood from any tree)Pure cow's milk and gheeBoiled water, plain warm milk

Foods to Avoid

Meat, fish, eggs — strictly forbiddenAlcohol and all intoxicantsOnion, garlic on this solemn vrat dayAny food prepared using freshly-cut green wood — observe the sacrifice by burning only fallen wood or none at all

Meal Idea

A simple plate of bajra roti, ker-sangri sabzi, and chaas — eaten in silence after sunset, in remembrance of the 363 Bishnoi who gave their heads so the khejri could live.

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