Do you know, how did the term 'Tree Hugger' originate? Who inspired the Chipko Movement and who was Amrita Devi Bishnoi?
The first tree huggers were 294 men and 69 women belonging to the Bishnois branch of Hinduism,who,in 1730,died while trying to protect the trees in their...
..village from being turned into the raw material for building a palace. They literally clung to the trees, while being slaughtered by the foresters. But their action led to a royal decree prohibiting the cutting of trees in any Bishnoi village. And now those villages are...
...virtual wooded oases amidst an otherwise desert landscape. The Bishnoi community is often called the protector of wildlife and environment in Western Rajasthan, at times going to lengths for their cause. One of the more well-known cases that catapulted them to fame was when...
...the community dragged Bollywood actor Salman Khan to court for allegedly killing two blackbucks in 1998 near Jodhpur. The community followed the case with dogged conviction for 20 years.
Bishnoism as a sect has 29 tenets that its followers are expected to abide by,..
...refraining from cutting green trees is one of them. In 1730, a local woman called Amrita Devi Bishnoi of the present day Khejrali village near Jodhpur was so steadfast in her belief of this tenet that she stood with an unwavering courage against a royal troop assigned to cut..
...Khejri trees in her village by the then king of Marwar. In the act of defiance-Amrita Devi and her three daughters hugged the trees to save them, and in response, paid with their heads being severed-was followed by others of the community leading to the massacre of 363 people.
Shocked, the king's troops finally relented and this episode went on not just to galvanise the Bishnoi community’s staunch belief in the world, but also to inspire Uttarakhand’s famous Chipko Movement.
Chipko movement (chipko means “to cling” in Hindi) that started in the 1970s, when a group of peasant women in the Himalayan hills of northern India threw their arms around trees designated to be cut down.
Within a few years, this tactic, also known as tree satyagraha, had spread across India, ultimately forcing reforms in forestry and a moratorium on tree felling in Himalayan regions.
Photo: The village women of the Chipko movement in the early 70's in the Garhwal Hills of India, protecting the trees from being cut down. - Avantgardens.
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🌺।।Maa Matangi is the ninth Mahavidya and is the Tantric form of Goddess Saraswati।।🌺
A Thread🧵 about her story and her Tantric Significance
Also known as the Outcast Goddess of Sacred Speech, she sits on the edge of tradition.
Not quite inside the temple, and not completely outside it.
Maa Matangi — the ninth Mahavidya — is the Tantric form of Saraswati, but unlike her Vedic counterpart, she does not follow the rules. She breaks them to reveal a deeper, more raw truth.
Where Saraswati is pure, white, and proper —
Matangi is wild, emerald-green, and unapologetically free.
🌺।।The Story of Maa Matangi।।🌺
Once, in ancient times, the Devas offered a grand feast to Sri Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. As is customary, the leftovers from the divine feast were thrown away, for no one dared to eat what had already been offered to the Gods.
🌺।।जब भगवान श्रीकृष्ण के आह्वान पर अगस्त्य ऋषि एक घूंट में पी गए देवराज इंद्र द्वारा लाई गई बाढ़ का पानी।।🌺
माता अन्नपूर्णा और अगस्त्य ऋषि की एक कथा 🧵
जब भगवान श्री कृष्ण ने गोवर्धन को धारण किया तो भगवान ने अगस्त्य ऋषि का आह्वान किया कि अगस्त्य ऋषि आओ और इस देवराज इंद्र के द्वारा जो यहाँ जल भरा हुआ है उसको पी जाओ और अगस्त्य मुनि आये, एक घूंट में सारा जल पी गए ।
अगस्त्य मुनि एक ऐसे ऋषि हैं जिनके पास समुद्र को भी एक घूंट बनाकर के पीने की शक्ति है ।
ऋषियों मे अत्यंत शक्तिशाली ऋषि अगस्त्य, शिवजी के परम भक्त थे । एक बार माता पार्वती, जो अन्नपूर्णा भी कहलातीं हैं, उन्होंने शिवजी से निवेदन किया, ‘महादेव ! मेरी इच्छा है कि मैं संसार के सभी साधू-महात्माओं को भोजन करवाऊँ । इसलिए आप सभी साधू-संतों व ऋषि-मुनियों को आमंत्रित कीजिए।
‘इस पर शिवजी ने जो प्रतिष्ठित संत व ऋषि-मुनि थे उनको स्वयं बुलाया कुछ को बुलाने गणों को भेजा, इस प्रकार से संसार के सभी साधू-संतों व ऋषि-मुनियों को आमंत्रित किया । लाखों साधू-संतों व ऋषि-मुनि एकत्रित हो गए । माता पार्वती ने सैंकड़ों व्यंजन भरपूर मात्रा मे बनवाए जिनको खा-खा सभी साधू-संत व ऋषि-मुनि थक गए किन्तु व्यंजन ज्यों के त्यों ही पड़े रहे ।
🌺।।Kamala – The Goddess of Divine Prosperity is the most beautiful and gentle form among the ten Mahavidyas।।🌺
Her name means “Lotus”, and she is the Goddess of true wealth — both outer and inner.
A Thread 🧵
She is the Tantric form of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, beauty, and abundance. But Kamala is not just about money or luxury. She gives us the kind of wealth that lasts: kindness, peace, contentment and spiritual richness.
Kamala is shown sitting on a blooming lotus, with two elephants pouring water beside her — symbols of strength, grace, and steady growth. Her hands shower gold coins, but even more, they bless us with love, compassion, and wisdom.
🌺।।Do you know about the curse that led Dhritrashtra to lose his 100 sons ?।।🌺
A Thread 🧵
King Dhritarashtra once asked Sage Vyasa, “Why did I lose all hundred of my sons? I remember my past hundred births—I committed no sin!”
Vyasa replied, “You remember a hundred lives, but what about before that?”
Then he revealed the truth.
Long ago, Dhritarashtra had been a mighty king. One day, a flock of swans stopped in his royal garden. Their leader entrusted his pregnant mate to the king’s care while he went on pilgrimage. She gave birth to a hundred cygnets.
The king’s cook, unaware, killed one and served it. The king loved the taste and ordered it daily—never questioning where it came from. One by one, all hundred babies were cooked and eaten.
🌺।।10 Amazing Facts about Kailash Parvat every Mahadev Bhakt must know।।🌺
A Thread 🧵
Kailash Parvat has a great significance in Hinduism as it is believed to be the Sacred Abode of Mahadev Shiva.
In addition, Kailash Parvat is a central figure in the spiritual traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Bon, often viewed as the axis mundi (the center of the universe).
1. It is believed to be the abode of Mahadev where he resides with his family.
2. Kailash Parvat is located in western Tibet at an elevation of 6,656 meters above sea level.
3. Kailash Parvat is considered the axis of the universe i e the center of the world.
4. As you can see from Google Maps, the distance from Stonehenge in the UK to Kailash is 6,666 km, which is also the distance from Kailash Range to North Pole.
5. The distance from Mt Kailash to the South Pole is 13,332 km, which is exactly twice the distance to the North Pole.