The sect, established in the 15th century by Guru Jambheshwar and which now claims about 1.5 million members, believes in the sanctity of all life, shunning meat and avoiding felling living trees.
Spread mostly in hamlets across Rajasthan, the community draws inspiration from Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman killed in 1730 while trying to protect a khejari -- now the state tree.
According to legend, a local king in the desert state sent his men to cut wood to fuel cement lime kilns to build his palace.
Devi rushed out of her home in a Bishnoi village to block them, clasping a tree trunk to protect it.
"Despite her pleas, the men did not stop. She then hugged a tree, but the king's men showed no mercy and chopped down the tree along with her head," said Sukhdev Godara, a retired schoolteacher, his eyes glistening with emotion.