<p>The tiny village of Deshnok, outside Bikaner in Rajasthan, is the location of the world famous Karni Mata temple. Here, more than 20,000 rats scurry and scamper and run over the feet of visitors, none of whom scream or stamp their feet lest they unwittingly harm a rat but instead share prasad with them and seek blessings!<br /><br />As a poet and a story teller, I wanted to make a trip to a temple that came under the protection of the Charan people of Rajasthan. <br /><br />The Charans are traditionally writers and story tellers. While the Charan are also considered to be great warriors and extremely loyal citizens, they were equally revered by kings for their taste in literature and love for poetry. <br /><br />I have to admit that I have travelled twice in one winter season to the Karni Mata Mandir, in the hope of sighting a rare white rat.<br /><br />Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch from the 14th Century, was born into the Charan caste and is worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Durga by her followers. During her lifetime, Karni Mata lived her life devoted to helping the poor. Many temples were devoted to her during her lifetime, but Karni Mata Mandir in Deshnok is one of the most famous.<br /><br />According to one local legend, Karni Mata once tried to restore a dead child of a story teller back to life but failed, as Yama, the god of death, had already accepted his soul and re-incarnated him in human form. Karni Mata was so disappointed by her failure to help her tribesman that she announced henceforth that no one from her tribe would fall into Yama’s hands again. Instead, when they died all of them would temporarily inhabit the body of a rat before being re-born into the tribe, thus ensuring that Charans will always spend their human lives as Charans, rather than being re-born into other people and places.<br /><br />Winter may be the best season to visit the temple as the cool climate reduces the impact on the nostrils as one enters through the silver gates guarding the inner courtyard. <br /><br />Because of the chilly weather, after leaving our shoes outside we elected to keep our socks on and entered with a little trepidation, clutching our prasad and keeping a wary eye out for randomly roaming rats. If you inadvertently hurt a rat by stepping on it or worse killing it, the rule there is that it must be replaced by a rat made in silver or gold. <br />The rats were skittering here and there, climbing over rails, perched atop the many bowls of milk being offered to them totally oblivious to the human traffic wandering through.<br /><br /> Even though the temple was busy with devotees and tourists, I am sure that the rats outnumbered the humans by about one hundred to one.<br /><br />Performing puja in the inner sanctum where Karni Mata is worshipped as Durga Ma, I have to admit that I was a little nervous about eating the prasad, pocketing it instead with a whispered apology to the goddess. <br /><br />While the kaba are considered holy, the downside for the rats is that all the sweet food and the sheer number of rats living in one area makes them prone to diseases. <br /><br />Stomach disorders and diabetes are common and occasionally a rat epidemic can harm the population, but there are no recorded cases of the disease ever spreading out into the community. This may be because most people wash their feet very thoroughly once they have paid respects to the temple deity and some (like me) throw their socks away as well!</p>
<p>The tiny village of Deshnok, outside Bikaner in Rajasthan, is the location of the world famous Karni Mata temple. Here, more than 20,000 rats scurry and scamper and run over the feet of visitors, none of whom scream or stamp their feet lest they unwittingly harm a rat but instead share prasad with them and seek blessings!<br /><br />As a poet and a story teller, I wanted to make a trip to a temple that came under the protection of the Charan people of Rajasthan. <br /><br />The Charans are traditionally writers and story tellers. While the Charan are also considered to be great warriors and extremely loyal citizens, they were equally revered by kings for their taste in literature and love for poetry. <br /><br />I have to admit that I have travelled twice in one winter season to the Karni Mata Mandir, in the hope of sighting a rare white rat.<br /><br />Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch from the 14th Century, was born into the Charan caste and is worshipped as an incarnation of the goddess Durga by her followers. During her lifetime, Karni Mata lived her life devoted to helping the poor. Many temples were devoted to her during her lifetime, but Karni Mata Mandir in Deshnok is one of the most famous.<br /><br />According to one local legend, Karni Mata once tried to restore a dead child of a story teller back to life but failed, as Yama, the god of death, had already accepted his soul and re-incarnated him in human form. Karni Mata was so disappointed by her failure to help her tribesman that she announced henceforth that no one from her tribe would fall into Yama’s hands again. Instead, when they died all of them would temporarily inhabit the body of a rat before being re-born into the tribe, thus ensuring that Charans will always spend their human lives as Charans, rather than being re-born into other people and places.<br /><br />Winter may be the best season to visit the temple as the cool climate reduces the impact on the nostrils as one enters through the silver gates guarding the inner courtyard. <br /><br />Because of the chilly weather, after leaving our shoes outside we elected to keep our socks on and entered with a little trepidation, clutching our prasad and keeping a wary eye out for randomly roaming rats. If you inadvertently hurt a rat by stepping on it or worse killing it, the rule there is that it must be replaced by a rat made in silver or gold. <br />The rats were skittering here and there, climbing over rails, perched atop the many bowls of milk being offered to them totally oblivious to the human traffic wandering through.<br /><br /> Even though the temple was busy with devotees and tourists, I am sure that the rats outnumbered the humans by about one hundred to one.<br /><br />Performing puja in the inner sanctum where Karni Mata is worshipped as Durga Ma, I have to admit that I was a little nervous about eating the prasad, pocketing it instead with a whispered apology to the goddess. <br /><br />While the kaba are considered holy, the downside for the rats is that all the sweet food and the sheer number of rats living in one area makes them prone to diseases. <br /><br />Stomach disorders and diabetes are common and occasionally a rat epidemic can harm the population, but there are no recorded cases of the disease ever spreading out into the community. This may be because most people wash their feet very thoroughly once they have paid respects to the temple deity and some (like me) throw their socks away as well!</p>
