Karni Mata Temple

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.