What if I told you that you will be a rat in your next life. You will get good food (milk and sweets) and everyone will take care of you well. You can roam around without any fear of predators. More, you will be respected and worshipped and fed well. That would be a Rat Heaven right? That’s exactly what Karnimata temple is.
The Karnimata temple in Deshnoke is an extremely popular tourist destination. The temple is filled with rats and people feed and worship the rats. It’s very strange for a temple to worship rats. But come on, it’s India. Anything is possible.
Karnimata was a person who lived in 1400s AD. Legend has it that the descendants or worshippers of Karnimata will be born as black rats in their next life. So rats are taken care well over here as it could be one of your relatives. If you see a white rat, it’s believed to be Karnimata herself. Any wish after seeing a white rat is fulfilled.
There are numerous stories about the super natural powers Karnimata possessed. Rao Jodha, who set up Jodhpur was a staunch follower of Karnimata. In fact it is said that Karnimata herself did the Bhoomi Pooja of the Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur.
Karnimata was also behind the setup of Bikaner. Rao Bika who was the son of Rao Jodha prayed to Karnimata and stayed in Deshnoke for many years. Karnimata blessed him and he built the city of Bikaner. She has been the women behind all these Rajasthani cities. No wonder people worship her so much here.
Like how we have Shirdi Sai Baba who lived in the 19th century, Karni Mata lived in the 15th Century. The supernatural events that happened in her lifetime are well documented. All around Bikaner and Jodhpur area you can see a lot of Karni Mata followers.
Rajasthan is filled with a lot of supernatural power related stories. Every small city or town you visit will have some or the other strange story to tell you. While it is true in many places in India, I felt it’s a little amplified in Rajasthan.
Endless thoughts 