The Bishnoi, also spelled as Vishnoi, is a Hindu Vaishnava community or panth found in the Western Thar Desert and northern states of India.

[6] Shree Guru Jambheshwar founded the sect at Samrathal Dhora in 1485 and his teachings, comprising 120 shabads, are known as Shabadwani.

[9] Bishnoi is a panth who adopted the 29 principles which emphasised social ethics, environmental conservation and personal hygiene.

Some people have used the term Vishnoi, meaning followers of Vishan (Vishnu's name in local dialect), while most refer to themselves as Bishnoi.

Of his 29 Niyamas, ten are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health, seven for healthy social behaviour, and four tenets to the worship of God.

These include a ban on killing animals and cutting green trees, and providing protection to all life forms.

Wearing blue clothes is prohibited because the dye for colouring them is obtained by cutting a large quantity of shrubs.

[20] There sacred sites of the Bishnois are locally known as Sathri or Dhām, located in places that have some connection with Guru Jambheshwar.

During those periods of time when the thān is associated with some kind of miracle or super-natural event, the shrine is called dhām.

[22] Peepasar dhām, in Nagaur, is the birth place of Shri Guru Jambheshwar Bhagwan, Ialso called avatār sthal - the site of reincarnation.

Muktidham Mukam  , in Nokha District in Bikaner, is the most important religious place of the Bishnoi community.

A plaque of Jambhoji, called khanda that belonged to his devotee and contemporary Dudoji is preserved in this temple.

The Maharaja of Jodhpur, Abhay Singh, requiring wood for the construction of a new palace, sent soldiers to cut trees in the village of Khejarli, which was called Jehnad at that time.

She told the soldiers that she considered their actions to be an insult to her faith and that she was prepared to die to save the trees.

[25][26] Some of the 363 Bishnois who were killed protecting the trees were buried in Khejarli, where a simple grave with four pillars was erected.

Every year, in September, i.e., Shukla Dashmi of Bhadrapad (Hindi month) the Bishnois assemble there to commemorate the sacrifice made by their people to preserve the trees.