RAS question
The Khejarli massacre (1730) is associated with which community?
Correct answer: (A) Bishnoi.
The Khejarli massacre of 1730 is associated with the Bishnoi community, whose members sacrificed their lives at Khejarli in Rajasthan to stop the cutting of trees.
Explanation
The Khejarli massacre is remembered as a Bishnoi sacrifice for environmental protection. In this episode, 363 Bishnoi men and women, led by Amrita Devi, gave their lives at Khejarli in Jodhpur to prevent Khejri trees from being felled by the king's men. NCERT, National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 records the same core fact: in 1730 at Khejadli in Rajasthan, 363 women, children and men laid down their lives in protest against tree cutting, led by Amrita Devi and her three young daughters. It also records that the Maharaja of Jodhpur later apologised and prohibited cutting trees and hunting animals in Bishnoi villages. That direct association makes Bishnoi the only correct option.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Bhil is wrong because the 1730 Khejarli episode is specifically described as the sacrifice of the Bishnois, not as a Bhil event.
- (C) Garasia is wrong because neither the Khejarli episode nor the NCERT passage connects the Khejarli sacrifice with the Garasia community.
- (D) Meena is wrong because the 1730 Khejarli episode is tied to Bishnoi villagers led by Amrita Devi, not to the Meena community.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's social and environmental history through a named community-linked event. It recurs in RAS because Khejarli combines local history, community traditions and conservation ethics in one high-yield fact.