The Bishnois
The Bishnois are a religious sect of Rajasthan. They hold all life forms sacred, particularly the Blackbuck. A Rajput Saint Jambeshwar Maharaj began the Bishnoi cult in the later years of the 15th century. The followers of Jambeshwar have to abide by 29 scared instructions – a fact reflected in the word Bishnoi which in Rajasthani means 29. Bishnoism lays stress on vegetarianism, respect for all living thing and not cutting trees. Bishnois number about 5 lakhs. They are mainly found in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi. The chief occupation of the Bishnois is agriculture and they hold the Khejadi tree in high esteem