Karni Mata Temple (Deshnok)

This 600 year old temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, a famous mystic of her times, believed to be an incarnation of goddess Durga. Devotees feed the rats, owing to the belief that these rodents will be reincarnated as holy men.

The entrance archway is intricately carved in marble. The Karni Mata temple, 30 kms from Bikaner, is devoted to an early fifteenth century mystic who was measured to be a reincarnation of goddess Durga.

The especially of the temple is that it is inhabited by legions of brown rats which scurry around the complex without aby fear. The rats are believed to be respositories of the souls of dead charans, the traditional bards. Devotees offer milk, grains and sweets to these rats during the time to aarti.

There are so many rats on the floor that people have to watch where they step. Sighting a while mouse is considered auspicious. It is believed that the Maharaja of Bikaner had a vision in which the goddess asked him to protect the rats and for this reason, there is bronze wiremesh across the temple.