Story of Holy Rats Temple in Bikaner

Rajasthan is one of the most incredible places in India that is a popular tourist attraction for its camel rides and magnificent palaces. Apart from that, this gorgeous North Indian state has a rich culture and heritage that is marked with the presence of some of the most beautiful and mystical temples. The Karni Mata Temple of Bikaner is one such temple that sees thousands of devotees each day. This temple in the town of Deshnok is not just any regular place of worship; it is unique in a very strange way. Karni Mata Temple is home to over 20,000 rats, which are all considered to be sacred and hence worshipped by the devotees.

The strange story of rats at Karni Mata temple

The Karni Mata temple, which is a very unusual place of worship in Deshnok, Bikaner, is dedicated to Goddess Karni. Karni Mata is considered as the incarnation of Maa Durga, the goddess of power and victory.

Goddess Karni is known for her innumerable miracles during her existence. While the temple has a lot of traditions and beautiful stories, it is the story of the rats around the temple that makes it a very famous attraction for worshippers as well as tourists. In fact, all hotels near Karni Mata Mandir are all booked full of tourists who are always excited to experience the amazing vision of a large number of rats making this temple their home.

Of the 20,000 rats that are seen at the temple, a few are white rats and these are considered to be especially holy. These rats are considered to be manifestations of Mata Karni and her four sons. The worshippers of this temple believe that the rats will be reincarnated as human beings again when they die whereas the worshippers will be reincarnated as rats when they die.

A popular custom and a high honor are to eat the food that has been nibbled by these rats, which may seem strange but is a ritual practiced by every worshipper at the temple. The worshippers regard it to be auspicious to have a rat run across their feet and even a glimpse of the white rat (known as Kaba) is regarded as good fortune. This is the reason why every hotel in Bikaner has tourists who definitely want to pay a visit to Karni Mata temple.

With so many rats around, there is no fear of any rat bites or injuries to the worshippers. As a matter of fact, the rats play around with the worshippers, sit on their laps and eat with them. Above all, these rats never leave the temple though there is nothing stopping them, a true miracle indeed!

Isn’t the Rat Temple in Bikaner fascinating? Well, it is time to book your trip to Rajasthan so that you can visit the amazing Karni Mata Temple. You can be certain that seeing so many rats in one place is an experience of a lifetime. So, what are you waiting for?