Respect for all forms of life
For Hindus, life is sacred. All forms of life must be respected, whether human, animal or vegetable. This is based on the belief that Brahma, the Creator God in the Hindu trinity, is present in every particle of the universe. Every element that surrounds us, living or not, is there for a reason chosen by the Creator God. This concept appears 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 folds of their souls. He lives in everything and observes everything Added to this belief is an acute awareness that everything in the universe is interconnected, that beings need each other and form a chain. Remove one link and the chain breaks. Jainism, a religion with a strong presence in Rajasthan, goes even further. It advocates non-violence and absolute respect for all forms of life, in order to lead people to the path of enlightenment. The Jains believe that everything is endowed with a soul, whether it's living beings, the air we breathe or the water we drink. Consequently, they follow a strict vegetarian diet. They only eat fruit and vegetables that grow above ground, because this way they don't kill the plant. The Bishnoi, a Vishnuite community, live mainly between Jodhpur and Bikaner. They follow the 29 precepts laid down by guru Jambeshwar Bhagavan in the 15th century, which place ecology at the heart of daily actions. His concepts are set out in the "Shabda-Vani", a text of 120 verses indicating the spiritual path to follow. These include "if you express your strength by molesting animals, the end of your life will be painful" and "if a tree can be saved, even at the cost of someone's head, it's 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 in order to renovate his palace. The men turn up in Bishnoi villages, which beg them not to cut down the trees, as this is contrary to their principles of life. The maharaja confirms his order and the soldiers start clearing the land. Amrita Devi intervenes, wrapping her arms around a tree, followed by other women and girls from the village, then by the men. The soldiers, respectful of the royal order, slash trees and Bishnoi indiscriminately. 363 people were killed. On learning 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 on their territory. More recently, the Bishnoi had Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment for taking part in an illegal hunting party in 1998, when he shot two antelopes.
The tiger, the star of Rajasthan
The region's undisputed wildlife star is the Bengal tiger, which attracts tourists en masse 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 notion of trophy hunting, which he practiced on the back of an elephant. Game took pride of place at the imperial table, where some forty meat dishes were served in a single meal. Emperor Jahangir had his hunting exploits recorded. During the first 12 years of his reign, he slaughtered 86 tigers and lions. But it was the British who introduced large-scale tiger hunting. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757 put them in control of India, they offered a reward for every tiger killed. The idea was to rid the countryside of dangerous wild animals, unnecessary for the country's economic development. Hungry for hunting parties, which they saw as an elitist pastime, the English changed the way tigers were hunted. From now on, they would stand on the back of an elephant or a platform in a tree, and bring in beaters to locate and flush out the tigers and bring them back to them. Countless photographs were taken of high-ranking British personalities and their often substantial hunting records. Each Viceroy of India made it his mission to beat the previous one's record. The maharajas were not to be outdone, boasting of their exploits. The Maharaja of Udaipur slaughtered 500 head, while the Nawab of Tonk boasted 600. The maharaja of Kota was known to have customized his Rolls Royce Phantom with night-hunting spotlights and a machine gun. Between 1875 and 1925, an estimated 80,000 tigers were slaughtered. By 1947, the time of independence, only 40,000 remained. In 1972, the first national census counted just 1,872 tigers. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister, promulgated a law to protect wildlife and set up 29 sanctuaries across the country. Project Tiger " is launched to save tigers from extinction. By the 1990s, the population had risen to 3,000. But habitat destruction outside the reserves and large-scale poaching once again put the species at great risk. In 2004, there were no tigers left in the Sariska Reserve. Following the reintroduction of the species, there will be 27 in 2022, while Ranthambore boasts 80 in the same year. Long the subject of controversy, tiger counts are now carried out using camera traps. The cameras are placed in strategic locations and are triggered by any movement in front of the cell. As each tiger has a different coat, with distinct stripes, the images are carefully studied, ensuring that the same animal is not counted twice.
The fauna of Rajasthan
In addition to the tiger, Rajasthan's wildlife is diverse, particularly in the Aravalli mountains and Ranthambore National Park. In the latter, you'll be able to observe thecheetal or spotted deer, the sambar deer, the Indian bison with its white "socks"(gaur), thesloth bear, thestriped hyena, the fox, thewild boar, thejackal and the wild dog. Smaller mammals include mongooses, prized for killing snakes, andflying fox. The southern region of Rajasthan, particularly between Udaipur and Pali, is home to a population of around 600 leopards. They can regularly be seen near the Jawai lake. Monkeys can be found in large numbers just about anywhere, particularly in nature reserves and on the outskirts of isolated fortresses. In Rajasthan, there are two easily recognizable species: the rhesus macaque with its red buttocks and the long-tailedlangur with its silvery hue. Semi-desert and desert regions are populated mainly by Benettii gazelles(chinkara), cervicapres antelopes(blackbuck) with long, twisted horns for the males, and nilgaurs(nilgai), a half-horse, half-cow antelope. These species are easy to spot around Jodhpur and Bikaner.
Rajasthan is also a haven for many migratory birds in winter. The best place to see them is in the marshy 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. Over 370 different bird species can be observed here, including many varieties of heron and duck,painted stork, ibis and cormorants in their hundreds. If you're lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of the Indian hornbill and its funny beak. Birds of prey are also present, with ospreys, peregrine falcons and several varieties of eagle. Among the passerines and small birds, bulbuls make a hell of a racket, timalies display their beautiful colors, quail hide in the tall grass... The luckiest visitors 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 vegetation in western and north-western Rajasthan is very poor, due to the desert climate and the absence of watercourses. It consists mainly of xerophytic plants, includingarwal(Cassia auriculata), babul(Acacia arabica),akaro(Calotropis procera) and tumbo(Citrullus colocynthis). A few rare oases provide a little fruit (oranges, bananas, mangoes), but most bushes are of little use other than a little shade and firewood. The pods of the khejri(Prosopis cineraria) are used in the local cuisine(ker sangari), and the desert tribes know the virtues of the hundred or so medicinal plants. The Aravalli mountains, which cross the state along a south-west-north-east axis, are home to vast forests where teak grows, once widely used in the manufacture of furniture and timber for havelis and Rajput palaces. Around 70 different varieties of tree have been recorded in Ranthambore National Park, including peepal, banyan(Ficus indica), dhak and khajur. The high-altitude surroundings of Mount Abu are home to flora not found elsewhere in Rajasthan, such as wild roses, orchids and ferns.
