Amrita Devi Beniwal, also known as Amrita Devi, was an

environmentalist Environmentalism is a broad Philosophy of life, philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of Green politics, g ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

from the Bishnoi community of Khejarli, Jodhpur district, Rajasthan, India. She is known for her role in the conservation of the Khejri trees (

Prosopis cineraria ''Prosopis cineraria'', also known as Persian mesquite or ghaf or khejri, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, ...

), which are considered sacred by the Bishnoi community. She was killed, along with her three daughters, in the

Khejarli massacre The Khejarli massacre occurred in September 1730 in Northern India, when 363 Bishnois were killed while trying to peacefully protect a grove of Khejri trees from being chopped down on the orders of the Maharaja of Marwar, Abhai Singh. Abhai Si ...

, after protesting the felling of trees by Maharaja Abhay Singh of Marwar. In 1730, the then Maharaja of Jodhpur, Abhay Singh, ordered the felling of Khejri trees to burn lime for the construction of his new palace. Amrita Devi opposed the cutting of the trees, which were vital to the

Bishnoi The Bishnoi, also spelled as Vishnoi, is a Hindu Vaishnava community or panth found in the Western Thar Desert and northern states of India. Bishnoi community is turned into a Hindu caste with time. It has a set of 29 Niyamas (principles/co ...

faith. She famously stated that she would give away her life to save the trees. According to legend, Devi put her arms around the trunk of a tree to prevent it from being felled; in response, the king's men decapitated her. In the subsequent

, Devi's three daughters, Asu, Ratni and Bhagu, and 363 other Bishnois were killed while protecting the trees.

Legacy

Her act of bravery is commemorated by the Bishnoi community every year, and inspired the

Chipko movement The Chipko movement () is a forest conservation movement in India. Opposed to commercial logging and the government's policies on deforestation, protesters in the 1970s engaged in tree hugging, wrapping their arms around trees so that they coul ...

in the 1970s. The Government of India instituted the Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for individuals or communities from rural areas that have shown extraordinary courage and dedication in protecting wildlife. In 2023, the Rajasthan Animal Welfare Board adopted a new name in reference to Amrita Devi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Amrita Year of birth missing 1730 deaths 18th-century Hindus 18th-century Indian women Deaths by decapitation Indian environmentalists Indian women environmentalists People from Jodhpur district 1730 in India