Father & son, Jodhpur countryside

The word Bishnoi is derived from bis (twenty) and nai (nine) i.e. followers of 29 principles given by Guru Jambheshwar. Bishnois are known as the first environment conservationists in the world. Guru Jambheshwar gave the message to protect trees and wildlife around 540 years ago when nobody could predict that harming the environment means harming yourself. He formulated twenty nine tenets. The tenets were not only tailored to conserve bio-diversity of the area but also ensured a healthy eco-friendly social life for the community.

Out of the 29 tenets, 10 are directed towards personal hygiene and maintaining good basic health, seven for healthy social behaviour, and five tenets to worship God. Eight tenets have been prescribed to preserve bio-diversity and encourage good animal husbandry. These include a ban on killing animals and felling green trees, and providing protection to all life forms. The community is also directed to see that the firewood they use is devoid of small insects. Wearing blue cloths is prohibited because the dye for colouring them is obtained by cutting a large quantity of shrubs.

In 1730, 363 Bishnoi men, women and children gave their lives to protect trees from cutting by the then king's men. This incident happened in Khejarli which is a village in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, India 26 km south-east of the city of Jodhpur. In this incident 363 Bishnois sacrificed their lives while protecting trees, by hugging to them, this incident is the first event of the Chipko movement in history.

Jodhpur District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Jodhpur is the administrative headquarters of the district.

As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Rajasthan (out of 33), after Jaipur.

Jodhpur is the historic center of the Marwar region. The district contains Mandore, the ancient capital of the Pratihara Rajput kings (6th-13th centuries), and the Pratiharas' temple city of Osiyan. Jodhpur was founded in the 15th century by Rao Jodha, and served as the capital of the kingdom of Marwar under the Rathore Rajput dynasty until after Indian Independence in 1947.

A minority group is a sociological category within a demographic. Rather than a relational "social group", as the term would indicate, the term refers to a category that is differentiated and defined by the social majority, that is, those who hold the majority of positions of social power in a society. The differentiation can be based on one or more observable human characteristics, including, for example, ethnicity, race, gender, wealth, health or sexual orientation. Usage of the term is applied to various situations and civilizations within history, despite its popular mis-association with a numerical, statistical minority. In the social sciences, the term "minority" is used to refer to categories of persons who hold few positions of social power.

The term "minority group" often occurs alongside a discourse of civil rights and collective rights which gained prominence in the 20th century. Members of minority groups are prone to different treatment in the countries and societies in which they live. This discrimination may be directly based on an individual's perceived membership of a minority group, without consideration of that individual's personal achievement. It may also occur indirectly, due to social structures that are not equally accessible to all. Activists campaigning on a range of issues may use the language of minority rights, including student rights, consumer rights and animal rights.