Holy Rats!!!

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This is not a rat.

This is a reincarnation of Karni Mata descent. Here we are at the notorious Karni Mata Temple, at Deshnok, 30 kms south of Bikaner, where pilgrims worship thousands of holy rats.

Karni Mata lived in the 14th century and performed may miracles during her lifetime. When her youngest son, Lakha, drowned, Kami Mata ordered Yama, the god of death, to bring him back to life. Yama replied that he was unable to do this but that Karni Mata, as an incarnation of Durga, could restore Lakha's life. This she did, decreeing that members of her family would no longer die but would be reincarnated as kabas (rats), ad that these kabas would return as members of her family. Around 600 families in Deshnok  claim descent from Kari Mata and that they will be reincarnated as kabas.

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Like for any Hindu temple, one has to remove shoes before entering, which makes the experience even more interesting. We thought about this beforehand and had socks with us this time. The first rat we saw deserved a scream. It was somehow in a hurry and passed in between my legs. We progressed cautiously, our heads down trying to avoid smashing one of those divine temple pets... We arrive to a big court where surprisingly the rats gathered into one big section where they were getting fed. We sit next to the steps where a huge bowl of milk attracts a crowd of well nourished domestic... rats. Pigeons trying to stick their nose to get a piece of food or drink were quietly asked to go away by believers: sorry, you don't represent the Holy Spirit or peace in this universe, but just a simple unholy being. There are times where you look at animals tenderly and think... nature is incredible or oh! how cute. Never in my life did I think I would have this feeling towards ugly rodents. I was wrong. Turns out when they are well fed and don't go eating your belongings they are just fine. Nevertheless, when we leave our house for vacation, we would still leave some poisoned food for seasonal guests.

We wander around in the dark corners of the temple and try to pass quickly on the sticky floor. There are little holes in the walls and similar rat infrastructure accross the compound. Our driver arrives with some food for the rats and they don't even fight for it, far from that. I know some readers will find this experience somehow disgusting, but looking back, it increases the mystery and perception of the world surrounding Hindus.

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