Respect for all forms of life
For Hindus, life is sacred. All forms of life must be respected, whether human, animal or plant. This is based on the belief that Brahma, the creator God in the Hindu trinity, is present in every particle of the universe. Everything around us, living or not, is there for a reason that the creator God has chosen. This concept is found in the Upanishads, the philosophical texts written between 800 and 500 B.C. that form the theoretical basis of Hinduism. The Svetasvatara Upanishad speaks of Brahma as follows: "His being is the source of all beings, the seed of all things.... He is the God hidden in all beings, even in the fold of their souls. He lives in everything and observes everything To this belief is added an acute awareness that everything is connected in the universe, that beings need each other and form a chain. Remove one link and the chain is broken. Jainism, a religion very present in Rajasthan, goes even further. It advocates non-violence and absolute respect for all forms of life, in order to lead people on the path to enlightenment. The Jains believe that everything is endowed with a soul, whether it is living beings, the air we breathe or the water we drink. Therefore, they follow a strict vegetarian diet. They only eat fruits and vegetables that grow above the ground, because this way they do not kill the plant. The Bishnois, a Vishnuite community, live mainly between Jodhpur and Bikaner. They follow the 29 precepts laid down by the guru Jambeshwar Bhagavan in the 15th century, which places ecology at the center of daily actions. His concepts are set out in the "Shabda-Vani", a text of 120 verses indicating the spiritual path to follow. Among these, one can read "if you express your strength by molesting animals, the end of your life will be painful" or "if a tree can be saved, even at the cost of someone's head, it is worth it". Jambeshwar Bhagavan places the preservation of nature above human life. This injunction took a turn that marked the history of Rajasthan. In 1730, the maharaja of Jodhpur sent soldiers to cut down trees in the surrounding area to undertake the renovation of his palace. The men come to Bishnoi villages, who beg them not to cut down the trees, as it is against their principles of life. The maharaja confirms his order and the soldiers begin their clearing. Amrita Devi interferes by wrapping her arms around a tree, followed by other women and girls of the village, then by the men. The soldiers, respectful of the royal order, slash trees and Bishnoi without distinction. 363 people are killed. On hearing of this, the maharaja, impressed by the courage of the Bishnois, ordered that the areas where they lived should become sanctuaries and that no trees or animals should be taken or even harmed in their territory. More recently, the Bishnoi had Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced to 5 years in prison for participating in an illegal hunting party in 1998, where he shot two antelopes.
The tiger, the star of Rajasthan
The undeniable star of wildlife in the region is the Bengal tiger, which attracts tourists in droves to Ranthambore National Park. The world's largest cat proliferated in India until the advent of the Mughal Empire. In the 16th century, Emperor Akbar introduced the concept of trophy hunting, which he practiced on the back of an elephant. The game occupies a beautiful place at the imperial table, where about forty meat dishes are served for the same meal. Emperor Jahangir had his hunting exploits recorded. During his first 12 years of reign, he killed 86 tigers and lions. But it was the British who introduced tiger hunting on a large scale. After the battle of Plassey in 1757, which put them in control of India, they offered a reward for every tiger killed. The idea was to rid the countryside of wild animals that were dangerous and therefore useless for the economic exploitation of the country. Eager for hunting parties that they considered as an elitist leisure, the English modified the practices of tiger hunting. From now on, they place themselves on the back of an elephant or a platform installed in a tree and make rabatteurs responsible for locating and flushing out the tigers to bring them back to them. The pictures taken of high ranking British personalities and their hunting record, often substantial, are not to be counted. Each Viceroy of India made it his mission to beat the record of the previous one. The maharajas were not to be outdone and boasted of their exploits. If the maharana of Udaipur killed 500 heads, the nawab of Tonk was proud to count 600. The maharaja of Kota was known to have customized his Rolls Royce Phantom with searchlights for night hunting and a machine gun. It is estimated that between 1875 and 1925, 80,000 tigers were killed. In 1947, at the time of the Independence, there were only 40 000 left. In 1972, a first national census counted only 1,872 cats. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister, promulgated a law to protect wildlife and established 29 sanctuaries in the country. Project Tiger " is launched to save tigers from extinction. The program brought the population back to 3,500 by the early 1990s. But the destruction of the habitat outside the reserves and the poaching on a large scale put the species in great danger again. The Sariska Reserve had no tigers left in 2004. After the reintroduction of the species, there were 20 in 2018, while Ranthambore is looking forward to 81 by 2021. Long a subject of controversy, the counting of tigers is now done with the help of camera traps. The cameras are placed at strategic locations and are triggered by movement in front of the cell. As each tiger has a different coat, with distinct stripes, the images are carefully studied, which avoids counting the same animal twice.
The fauna of Rajasthan
Besides the tiger, the fauna of Rajasthan is diverse, especially in the Aravalli mountains and the Ranthambore National Park. In the latter, you will be able to observe the axis deer(cheetal or spotted deer), the sambar deer, the Indian bison with its white "socks"(gaur), thesloth bear, thestriped hyena, the fox, thewild boar, thejackal, the wild dog(dholé or wild dog). Amongst the smaller mammals, you may come across mongooses, appreciated for killing snakes, or the giant squirrel(flying fox). The southern region of Rajasthan, especially between Udaipur and Pali, is home to a population of about 600 leopards. They can regularly be observed near the lake of Jawai. Monkeys are present in large numbers everywhere, especially in nature reserves or in the vicinity of isolated fortresses. In Rajasthan, there are two easily recognizable species: the rhesus macaque with its red backside and the long-tailedlangur with its silver tint. The semi-desert and desert regions are mostly populated by Benettii gazelles(chinkara),blackbuck antelopes with long twisted horns for the males and nilgaurs(nilgai), an antelope half horse, half cow. These species are easily seen in the vicinity of Jodhpur and Bikaner.
Rajasthan is also a haven for many migratory birds in winter. The best place to see them is the swampy area of Keoladeo Ghana, an extraordinary bird sanctuary with a worldwide reputation. This former hunting reserve of the Maharaja of Bharatpur was declared a National Park in 1982. More than 370 different bird species can be seen here, including many varieties of herons and ducks,painted stork, ibis, cormorants by the hundreds. One can also see the Indian hornbill and its funny beak, with a little luck. Birds of prey are also present with ospreys, peregrine falcons, and several varieties of eagles. Among the passerines and small birds, the bulbus make a hell of a racket, the timalies display beautiful colors, the quails hide in the high grass... The lucky ones will see the rare Siberian crane which flies over the Himalayas in autumn to reach the milder climate of Rajasthan.
The flora of Rajasthan
The west and northwest of Rajasthan has a very poor vegetation due to its desert climate and the absence of water courses. It is mainly composed of xerophytic plants, includingarwal(Cassia auriculata), babul(Acacia arabica),akaro(Calotropis procera), tumbo(Citrullus colocynthis). A few rare oases provide some fruit (oranges, bananas, mangoes), but most of the bushes have little use other than providing shade and wood for fire. The pods of the khejri(Prosopis cineraria) are used in the local cuisine(ker sangari) and the desert tribes know the virtues of the medicinal plants, which number about 100. The Aravalli Mountains, which run southwest-northeast across the state, are home to vast forests where teak trees are grown, once widely used in the manufacture of furniture and timber for Rajput havelis and palaces. About 70 different varieties of trees have been recorded in Ranthambore National Park, including peepal, banyan(Ficus indica), dhak and khajur. The high altitude surroundings of Mount Abu offer the opportunity to observe flora not found elsewhere in Rajasthan, such as wild roses, orchids or ferns.
