Shri Karni Mata
Karni Mata is worshipped as the incarnation of Maa Durga(goddess of power and victory). She lived an ascetic life and widely revered during her lifetime. She got married but remained celibate till her death and lived to 151 years young and beautiful devoting her entire life to serve the people. Her whole life was full of miracles and even after her disappearance from the earth her innumerable devotees have experienced her blessings.
Story behind the Temple
It is said that Karniji had a devtoee named Bana who was a carpenter and was blind, Karniji told him to bless his eyesight so that he can see her and carve out her image on a sandstone as per what he see and told him to put her carve under his head and sleep. On the next day when he will woke up he will find himself outside the Deshnok cave and he has to situate that carve inside the cave. The image carved was not a normal existing human image but the incarnation of Maa Durga, exhibiting mouth bit long, crown on the head, round earrings a necklace around the neck and bangles on both the hands, Trishul (a weapon having three prongs on the upper part) in the right hand, in the left hangs the head of a demon and at the lower end of the trishul there is a head of buffalo. Thus the Karni mata image replicates the image of Maa Durga carved in caves of Deshnok making it as a famous Karni Mata temple.
Distance
The temple is located in Deshnok, around 30 kms away i.e around 45mins from Bikaner in Rajasthan and one can reach Bikaner either by Rail, Road or Air.
Timing
Temple generally opens at 4 A.M in the morning till 10 P.M and devotees comes in huge expance to get the blessings of Maa karni especially during the Navratris.
This temple is known to hold the powers to fulfill wishes and offers more than just peace and tranquility and devotees from all over India visit the temple to get the blessing of Manshapurna Maa Karni. Infact lots of foreign visitors also drop by to see the miraculous Temple of Rats.
Our ancestors also believe in the divine spirit of Maa karni and every year we visit this temple to seek the blessings of Mataji. Many people dont believe in miracles and give it a scientific or practical reasons for its existence or faith but still this temple is a must visit to see the beautiful architecture of the temple, to perceive the view of so many rodents crawling here and there, to acquaintance the peace and harmony of the temple.
Bikaner,a city in Rajasthan is famous for its aesthetic forts, camel safaris, culture, and architecture but the Karni Mata Temple located around 30 kms away from Bikaner, in a small town in Deshnok makes it a world famous for its uniqueness and disparate idiosyncrasy.
Story Behind the Rats
In Karni Mata temple there is a home to around 25000 rats. They are considered to be sacred and are fed, protected and worshipped. It is said that once Karni Mata requested Yama(the Death God) to restore the life of a death child of her devotee but Yama refused to do so and then only Karni Mata announced that no one from her tribe would fall into death of Yama instead they would colonize as rats and will be called Kabbas before being reborn into the tribe.
Its been more than 600 years the kabaas stay inside the temple and the enigma is that none of the kaba go outside the temple, they never quarrel nor create any nuissance or bite or harm the devotees. Infact by the blessings of Karni Mata they are ponder as sacred and holy and people visiting the temple feed them with sweets, cereals, groundnuts, milk and the food devour by them is also consider as holy and auspicious. These Kabas rove on the foot ,toes of devotees, sit on their hands, lap and the devotees thinks this to be the divine spirit and blessings of Maa Karni. There are innumerable kabas of standard size and weight,of red and white colours, in which white colours kabas are consider to be the more sacred ones and if the devotees get the glance of white Kabas they consider themselves to be the lucky one. If accidently any of the rat is killed it must be replaced with rat made of silver or gold.
The Temple
The temple is beautifully constructed in the Mughal style with the entire structure showcasing beguiling white marble. The doors are made of silver depicting the various legends of the Goddess. The image of the Goddess is placed in the main shrine surrounded by many Kabbas and to ensure the safety of these rats shoes are not allowed inside the temple and nets and grilled have also been employed in the temple.
