Many have laid their lives to save not their families and friends but forests and today (September 11) on National Forest Martyrs Day the nation pays its homage to such people who without thinking for a second laid their lives to protect the wildlife, jungles and forests in the country.

It was in 2013 that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, declared September 11 as the National Forest Martyrs Day.

The date for this solemn occasion was not chosen arbitrarily rather after much thought. It was on this fateful day that hundreds of decades back in 1730, the infamous Khejarli massacre took place.

In the unsavoury incident in September 1730, 363 Bishnois laid their lives as they were killed while protecting, peacefully a grove of Khejri trees. A group of soldiers were sent by Abhay Singh, the Maharaja of Marwar, to procure wood by cutting down the trees in the village of Khejarli. This wood was required for the King’s new palace.

Memorial site for the Bishnoi massacre (Pic. Courtesy wikimedia commons)

The villagers, led by a woman by the name of Amrita Devi Bishnoi, refused to allow the soldiers to cut the trees. It is said that Amrita said that Khejri trees were sacred for the Bishnois and that her belief did not allow their cutting. Leading by example, she along with her children and others shielded the trees by hugging them.

The soldiers who were under instructions from a minister, Giridhar Bhandari went ahead and started killing the villagers. When the news of this massacre spread, villagers from nearby areas came and joined this movement and thus more killings followed.

Abhay Singh, on hearing about this, immediately stopped the soldiers and apologised to the villagers.

The Chipko movement that started in Uttarakhand in 1973, for forest conservation, taking a leaf from this event, started passive resistance to save the jungles and trees.

On this day besides paying tributes to those who have laid their lives in saving the forests and environment, several events are held to create and raise awareness about ecological conservation and protection.

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