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Karni Mata Temple,Deshnoke,Rajasthan
Locality/village : Deshnoke
State : Rajasthan
Country : India
Nearest City/Town : Bikaner
Best Season To Visit : All
Languages : Rajasthani,Hindi& English
Temple Timings : Summer Morning 4:00 AM to Night 9:00 PM. Winter Morning 5:00 PM to Night 9:00 PM
Photography : Not Allowed
Karni Mata Temple,Deshnoke,Rajasthan
Deshnoke is a small town in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India, near the Pakistan border and about 30 km from Bikaner.Deshnoke is famous for its 600 year old Karni Mata Temple, where rats are worshiped. The goddess Karni Mata has been worshiped by the royal family as well as the general public of Bikaner and other parts of Rajasthan since long ago.
ABOUT THE TEMPLE:
The Karni Mata Temple at Deshnoke, 30 km from Bikaner, India, is one of the strangest temples in the world. The temple is home to over 20,000 rats, that not only live and dine within the temple premises but are actually worshipped by devotes who throng the temple in great numbers. These holy animals are called “kabbas”, and many people travel long distances to pay their respects.
The rats are absolutely everywhere, from the door handles to the grills to the ledges around the side of the marble constructs. They can be seen in dozens crowded around pots of milk, coconut shells and various other foodstuffs that are scattered across the temple.
Karni Mata Temple, Deshnoke, Rajasthan
The building was completed in its current form in the early 20th century in the late Mughal style byMaharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner.In front of the temple is a beautiful marble facade, which has solid silver doors built by Maharaja Ganga Singh. Across the doorway are more silver doors with panels depicting the various legends of the Goddess. The image of the Goddess is enshrined in the inner sanctum.
The temple was further enhanced by KundanlalVerma of Hyderabad-based Karni Jewelers in 1999. The silver gates to the temple and the marble carvings were also donated by him.
According to tradition, Karnimata was originally the wife of DepojiCharan of the village of Sathika. However, she later expressed to her husband her unwillingness to engage in matrimonial relations. He initially humored her, thinking that she would be fine as the time passes. Instead of doing so, Karni made her younger sister Gulab marry him so that he might have a proper married life. She herself remained celibate all her life, with the concurrence and support of her husband.
Karni lived in her in-laws’ village for about two years before leaving with her followers and a herd of cattle to live a nomadic life, camping at sunset. One such camp was made at the village of Jangloo; but a servant of Rao Kanha, who was ruler of the place, denied them access to water for the people and cows. Karni Mata declared her follower Rao Ridmal of Chandasar as new ruler of the village and continued on her journey. When she reached near Deshnok, Rao Kanha himself came to oppose her camping but he died. Karni Mata stopped wandering further, and settled there. Her husband Depoji died in 1454.
In 1453, she gave her blessing to Rao Jodha of Jodhpur for conquering Ajmer, Merta and Mandor. In 1457 she went to Jodhpur at Rao Jodha’s request, to lay the cornerstone of the fort at Jodhpur.
Her first temple was constructed in the village of Mathania during her lifetime by her follower Amara Charan. In 1472, she arranged the marriage of Rao Bika, the fifth son of Rao Jodha, and Rang Kunwar, daughter of Rao Shekha of Pungal, to turn the enmity of the Rathor and Bhatian families into friendship. In 1485, she laid the foundation stone of the fort of Bikaner at the request of Rao Bika. In 1538, Karniji went to visit the Maharaja of Jaisalmer. On 21 March of that year she was travelling back to Deshnok with her stepson Poonjar and a few other followers. They were near Gadiyala and Girirajsar of the Kolayat tehsil in Bikaner district when she asked the caravan to stop for water. She disappeared there, reportedly at the age of 151 years.
The legend goes that Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch from the 14th century, was an incarnation of Durga, the goddess of power and victory. At some point during her life, the child of one of her clansmen died. She attempted to bring the child back to life, only to be told by Yama, the god of death, that he had already been reincarnated. Karni Mata cut a deal with Yama: From that point forward, all of her tribe’s people would be reborn as rats until they could be born back into the clan. In Hinduism, death marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one on the path to a soul’s eventual oneness with the universe. This cycle of transmigration is known as samsara and is precisely why Karni Mata’s rats are treated like royalty.
It is regarded auspicious, if a rat runs across one’s feet, and especially holy if a white rat is seen. The white rats are believed to be the manifestations of Karni Mata herself and her four sons. Visitors put in extensive efforts to bring them forth, offering prasad, a sweet holy food. It is estimated that there are only about 10 or less such rats living in the temple.
Eating food that has been nibbled on by the rats is considered to be a blessing. Visitors often eat sweets and drink milk that has been tasted by the rats. Surprisingly, there has been no incidence of plague in the past which is deemed a miracle of Karni Mata. Strange enough, the rats themselves suffer from various ailments such as stomach disorder and diabetes, thanks to the unhealthy diet of sweets and milk, and every few years a rat epidemic decimates the population, but it soon grows back to its original hefty size.
Below is the timing chart of shri Karni Mata temple
| Opening Time | Closing Time | |
| Summer | Morning 4:00 AM | Night 9:00 PM |
| Winter | Morning 5:00 PM | Night 9:00 PM |
Aarti timings
| Aarti Type | Summer | Winter |
| MangalaAarti | Morning 4:30 AM | Morning 5:00 AM |
| BhogAarti | Morning 8:00 AM | Morning 8:00 AM |
| ShringarAarti | Evening 3:45 PM | Evening 3:45 PM |
| Sandhya Aarti | Evening 7:00 PM | Evening 6:00 PM |
| ShayanAarti | Night 9:00 PM | Night 9:00 PM |
Karni Mata Temple is a popular and unusual holy shrine of India. This Temple is in a small town of Deshnok, which is located at a distance of 30 kms in south of Bikaner in Rajasthan. Karni Mata Mandir is easily accessible by regular buses from Bikaner and Jodhpur. To ensure a comfortable journey, one can also opt for taxis that can be availed from anywhere in Rajasthan. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Karni, who is regarded as the incarnation of MaaDurga.
Karni Mata Fair is held twice a year at Deshnok:
- The first and larger fair is held in March-April during the Navratras from Chaitra Shukla Ekam to Chaitra Shukla Dashmi.
- The second fair is held in September-October, also during the Navratras, from Ashvin Shukla to Ashwin Shukla Dashmi.
During Navratri thousands of people travel to the temple by foot.
The Karni Mata Temple appeared on the first season of the U.S. reality series The Amazing Race. It featured a challenge where one person from each team had to search the temple for a clue. The Karni Mata temple is one of the wonders of Indians in the game Age of Empires 3.
