"All Hail The Mighty Rats!"

What do you think of when you hear the word temple? Do you imagine a gigantic structure with beautiful statues and decorations? Or a marvelous golden building with marble floors? Well whatever you imagine, I’m sure you would have never imagined an ornate temple with rats scurrying all over the floors.

That’s exactly what the Temple of Karni Mata is like though. This temple is home to thousands of rats or kabbass, which is what they are called in Deshnok, that dine with visitors and run over their feet. There these animals are considered to be holy animals and tons of people travel huge distances to pay their respects. In fact, this temple was built in the early 1900s as a tribute to the Hindu rat goddess, Karni Mata.

The Hindu legend says that Karni Mata was a 14th century matriarch that was a reincarnation of Durga, the goddess or power and victory. Then there was this time in her life where the child of one of her clansman died, so she attempted to bring the child back to life, but was told the god of death, Yama, that he had already been reincarnated. Karni Mata then made a deal with Yama that from that point forward all of her tribespeople would be reincarnated into rats after their death until they could be born back into the clan.

In Hinduism, death represents the end of one life and the beginning of another that will eventually lead to a soul’s oneness with the universe. This transmigration is known as samsara, and is the reason why the rats at the Temple of Karni Mata are worshipped.

One day, I hope that I’ll be able to visit this amazing temple. It would definitely be a once in a lifetime experience!