About:
Karni Mata Temple is a very unique temple located in Deshnok village of Bikaner City in Rajasthan. The uniqueness of this temple is that it has more than 25,000 rats which are fed daily by the devotees who come here. Karni Mata Mandir is dedicated to Karni Mata , she is worshiped as the incarnation of Goddess Durga.
History:
One among the famous folklore, Lakshman( son of Karni Mata) went to Kapil Sarovar for drinking water but suddenly he fell down in water and started drowning. At that time Karni Mata came and pleaded to Yama or Yama deva to revive her son. But the God of Death initially rejected her plea, but later he accepted and allowed the reincarnation of Lakshman and all her sons as rats or they are the incarnation of the Charan clan(Karni Mata ji’s clan).
Another famous folklore focuses on the rats of Karni Mata Temple. As per the legend, around 20,000 soldiers decided to run away from the battle and returned to Deshnok to save their lives. When Karni Mata knew about this incident she got furious and wanted to punish the soldiers for deserting their duty or responsibilities. She wanted to give them the death penalty but later on her heart melted and decided to refrain from destroying their lives but turned the whole army into rats.
Significance of Rats in Karni Mata Temple:
Karni Mata Temple is home to more than 25,000 rats. As per the folklore, these rats are considered to be the incarnation of sons of Karni Mata. Rats are considered holy and are fed and worshiped by the devotees. These rats wander in the temple every time but don’t harm any devotee. People who visit here drag their feet instead of normally walking to save the rats by not killing them as suddenly. If by chance any Rat got killed, it was immediately exchanged by the rat made of silver or gold as penance.
However, there are so many rats present in the temple but there is no story of disease like plague that has never happened till date.
Mystery of White Rats:
As the temple is full of black rats, you can easily spot them but if you spot any white coloured rat, consider yourself lucky as it is considered holy and people believe that this significant white coloured rat is the Avtar of Karni Mata.
Style of Worship in Karni Mata Temple:
In the early morning, the priest performs Mangala Aarti and then offers special food which is known as Bhog to the Goddess Karni Mata. After this, devotees or visitors fed milk to the rats present there as they are also holy and worshiped by the people.
There are two types of offerings also called Bhent are made, first one is Dwar-Bhent which is offered to priests and workers and second one is Kalash-Bhent which is used for the maintenance of this shrine.
Special Fair in Karni Mata Mandir:
The Karni Mata temple organizes the fair twice a year. Both the Fair are organized in Navratri but in different months. First fain in the month of March-April on the occasion of Navratri and second one in the month of september-october for the same occasion.
Oran Parikrama:
The Oran of Deshnok is established by Karni Mata herself which is 42km in length where no being is harmed or any tree wood to be cut. The Oran Parikrama attracts thousands of people every year on the time of Navratri.
Architecture of the Karni Mata Temple:
The inner shrine of Karni Mata Temple was built in the 15th century in honor of Karni Mata ji but the outer shrine was built recently in the 20th century by the Late Rajput architecture named Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner.
Temple has beautiful and big silver doors and lions made of marbles. The walls and the doors contain the images or scenes of Deity Kanri Mata story.
Beliefs:
➤ Rats also known as Kabbas if crossed your mark it is considered to be blessed or lucky.
➤There are few white rats present in the temple which are considered to be the avatar or manifestation of deity Karni Mata. If you found one, consider yourself lucky.
➤Rats saliva contain healing properties so devotees share their food with the rats and as a cure to their problem.
➤If someone accidently kills the rat then he\she immediately do penance by donating a rat made of pure gold or silver.
Timings of Karni Mata Temple:
Karni Mata Temple is open all days of the week and doesn’t charge any fees from the visitors. The timing is between 4 am to 10 pm. However, on special occasions the timing may be affected.
Also Read: Ambika Mata Mandir Jagat , Rajasthan
Nearby Places to visit:
You can explore nearby temples like
Temde Rai Mata- Hindu temple , one of the Devi’s Shaktipeeth.
Om Banna- Also known as the Bullet Baba Temple.
You can also visit the Bikaner city which is 30km away from the Karni Mata Temple, where you can visit the famous Lalgarh Palace, Rampuria Haveli and Junagarh Fort.
Hotels near Karni Mata Temple:
| Name | Distance | cost |
| Hotel Akshara | 5.5m away | Rs. 1611 |
| Hotel Millenium | 430m away | Rs. 964 |
| Hotel Coal Field | 730m away | Rs. 804 |
| Jai Ganesh Banquet Hall | 5.5m away | Rs. 1568 |
| Cocoon Luxury business hotel | 400m away | Rs. 3775 |
If you love to explore the Indian culture and rituals which are very special and auspicious then you must visit The Karni Mata Temple at least one time. Explore the rare customs and feed the rats as it is popular as the Rat Temple and takes blessing of Karni Mata (incarnation of Goddess Durga).
