Karni Mata, India's Temple of Rats
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Located in Deshnoke, Rajasthan, India, Karni Mata temple is a 600-year-old Hindu temple.
Temple of Rats video
Link. See also the official website
Karni Mata is believed to be the incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga. The peculiarity of this temple is that thousands of rats are worshipped here. The temple in its present form was completed in the early 20th century in late Mughal style by Maharaja Ganga Singh.
This temple is dedicated to Karni Mata. There is a legend that she prophesied the victory of Rao Bika. The rats are seen as holy, owing to the belief that the souls of the followers of Karni Mata are in these rats and thus they must be looked after. The huge silver gates to the temple, and the marble carvings were a donation of Maharaja Ganga Singh.
Temple of Rats video
Link. See also the official website
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.