Bishnoi Village Jodhpur

Bishnoi village is 22 km from Jodhpur, and there are several tour operators that organise day trips to experience the village, meet local families, and spend time interacting with them, to learn more about their culture.

The Bishnoi faith is an offshoot of hinduism, and founded on 29 main principles, most of which promote environmental conservation. Blackbucks, chinkara (Indian gazelle), vultures, peacocks, the great Indian Bustard, and others, find a safe haven in Bishnoi, and are even allowed to graze freely in their farmlands. They keep vessels filled with water around the neighbourhood and hang pots from trees filled with water for the animals and birds. Some Bishnoi temples like the one in Jajiwal are rescue shelters for injured animals. The priest here cares for and has nursed back to health many animals like the blackbuck, nilgai, and chinkara. It is common to see these animals roam the villages of the area unafraid of human sightings. Bishnoi women have even breastfed rescued calves until they are big enough to fend for themselves in the wild.

History of the Bishnois
Loosely translated, the word ‘Bishnoi’ means the number 29, and it represents the 29 principles that the villagers live by. Bishnoi is also a Hindu religious sect, following the 29 principles laid down by Guru Jambheshwar, the founder of the sect. He was considered a reincarnation of Lord Krishna, and his teachings propagated that God is a divine power present everywhere. Amongst the 29 principles that he taught, ten are devoted to personal hygiene and good health, seven to healthy social behaviour, four to the worship of God, and eight to the preservation and care for the biosphere. These principles are followed by the tribe living in the Bishnoi village on a daily basis, with the utmost respect for nature and its every little constituent, including small insects. In fact, the history of the village is well-known for the sacrifice of the villagers, wherein they sacrificed their lives to save trees from being cut down! Home to a truly amazing community, the Bishnoi Village is a popular tourist destination.

Bishnoi Village
The Bishnoi Village is a small village and has always been a tourist attraction - even for kings during the times of Indian kingdoms. The original community of the Bishnoi Village, the Marwar, has influenced the way the culture of the village has been shaped drastically, and as a tourist, you can still see the awe-inspiring influences of their culture.

The Bishnoi community consists of simple locals, without too much worldly knowledge, but they are always ready to learn; and they are known for heartily welcoming tourists to spend time with them. They are as open to sharing snippets of their culture with their visitors, through tales of their ancestors, insights into their daily lives, and through their arts and culture.

The village is a small one, albeit amazing, and it is almost as though time stands still here. As mentioned before, attracting tourists is not new for the locals, and there is a ‘village safari’ tour that is available for visitors, that was initially started by Jodhpur’s kings (the Rajas and the Maharajas), to give visitors a glimpse into the extraordinary lives of ordinary locals. Tourists are free to embark upon the safari either in jeeps or on camel-back, and observe different parts of the village.