Hello travelers!
Do you know about this Rat Temple In India where people actually worship rats inside a temple? Well, If you don’t, let me take you on a special voyage to Deshnok, Bikaner, Rajasthan state of India.
I have also covered some of the Astonishing heritage places like Gajner Palace but this kind of temple is one of its kind.
You would see rats running and scampering around the whole temple complex, but why does this temple have so many rats?
I will answer all of your queries and by the end of this article will make it crystal clear and also give you some tips so that in the future If you wish to travel to this Rat Temple In India, You will be more comfortable and conscious about the place.
Let’s hit the central part.
Why are there rats in Karni Mata Temple?
I know that the first and foremost question in your mind would be why do even rats are there? What’s their role inside any temple?
The moment you enter the temple you will find thousands of rats running here and there, Also after seeing these rats you might feel uncomfortable and you feel like maybe one of them doesn’t get crushed by your feet. What is the main reason behind these rates inside a temple?
let’s find out.
Karni Mata Temple History
Karni Mata is a Deity who lived in the 14th century period and she is considered an incarnation of Goddess Durga who is a protector in Hinduism. Also, some Royal families of Rajasthan consider themselves the descendants of Karni Mata and worship her as their family Deity.
There are numerous tales associated with this Rat Temple in India but the most famous and most accepted legend is that Karni Mata herself didn’t marry anyone but she had stepsons from her sister. One day while drinking water from a pond nearby, one of his sons, Lakshman drowned in the water body.
After that, Karni Mata went to the Yamma, the Deity of death in Hinduism, and asked him to give her back her son but the Yamma did not give her back his son but turned him and other male family into a rat.
From then onwards it is considered that all the rats that are roaming around in this Rat Temple in India are the male family of the Deity.
One of the interesting facts here is that Karni Mata also laid the foundation stone of the Mehrangarh and Bikaner Fort, so maybe that’s why the royal families in this region consider her a family goddess.
More details are available on the Rajasthan Tourism website if you want to read more.
Location and How to Reach
Karni Mata temple is located on the outskirts of Bikaner city of Rajasthan. It is approximately 30 km away from the city and you can take a bus or hire a bike or a taxi.
I’ll suggest you hire a bike or a taxi instead of going by bus because it will give you more leverage to explore the nearby monuments like this Gajner palace.
Find out more about the city in Bikaner’s city guide.
Significance of Animals in Hinduism
Hinduism and animals have very strong, strengthened, and ancient relationships from the beginning of this world. You might have seen people having cows goats horses In the villages in India and worshiping them in the temple.
The cow is considered a very pure and sacred animal in Hinduism and most of the Deities in Hinduism have their own special animal associated with them Culturally and spiritually.
There are literal temples based on animal worshipping, one of them is Pashupati Nath Temple in Nepal, where Pashupati means the god of animals. People literally worship the God and animals over there. Also if you see a basic structure of temples in Hinduism there are figures and incarnations of animals on the outskirts or you can say the peripherals of the temple.
So it’s a very deep and sacred kind of relationship in this culture. Also, we have thousands of literature that belong to the Vedic era with speaks about the relationship between humans and animals. So if you belong to this country or belong to Hinduism as a religion you should not be surprised about the fact that animals are specifically being worshipped in our temples.
But if you belong to some other culture or some other country then definitely you will be surprised to see this.
Let’s answer some FAQ’s here
Not really, The moment you go inside the temple corridor you will feel a little bit scared but they will not bite you. They can or might jump on your legs or feet but there is not even a single incidence of biting.
There has not been actual counting but it is considered there are a minimum of 25000 rats present in the temple complex.
People usually bring offerings to the Goddess, which after being offered to the Goddess directly or indirectly goes to the rats. Apart from this, they are also fed milk, sweets, wheat, etc.
It’s not like it is stinking but besides having 25000 rats, it has the minimum foul smell. It could be because of the regular cleaning and hygiene processes.
conclusion
In the last, I’ll say only one thing to you, it is one of its kind Temple all over the world, even in India we don’t have any other Temple like this. Yes, we do have temples where animals are worshipped but not like this.
You should definitely come here once in your life if you ever want to see how sacred, easy, flourishing, accepting, lovable, and harmonious a religion can be.
The ultimate reality in this temple is that we could also stay and live along with the animals and become a part of the ecosystem created by the supreme God
From a Traveller’s point of view, you will definitely find something unique and interesting, mesmerizing and mind-blowing here.
lemme know in the comments, what you think about it.
