Karni Mata Temple - House of Thousands of Rats
One of the most splendid attractions of Bikaner is the Karni Mata Temple. This 600-year-old temple is located in Deshnok village and 19 miles away from Bikaner. Being the spiritual destination of Hindus, the fascinating fact of this temple is it’s a residence of 25,000 black rats. Surprising, isn’t it! These rats are revered in the temple and are taken care of by everyone who visits it.Why Hindus Visit Karni Mata Temple?
Karni Mata is also known as Nari bai and later considered as an incarnation of the goddess ‘Durga.’ She was born on 20th September 1387, according to the Indian calendar. She lived 150 years of her age and remained young and beautiful even up to the last stage of her life.At a young age, Karni Mata married ‘Dipoji,’ who is a resident of Sathika gram. But when she reached adulthood, she wanted to get free from marital life. After that, with due permission of Karni Mata, her husband ties a knot with her sister ‘Gulab.’ Gulab had five sons, and Karni Mata treats and loves all of them like her children. All children took care of Karni Mata and serviced her.
One day, the 5th son of Mata suffered from severe pain and died. Later on, Karni Mata invocates the god of death, Yama, and requests him to revive her son. The god of death was relented by her prayer and reincarnated her son as a rat. Since when devotees of Karni Mata believes rats in the temple are their ancestors who will be reincarnated as a human again when they die.
Royal families of Bikaner and Jodhpur worship Karni Mata as a deity. After a request by the king of Bikaner and Jodhpur, Karni Mata laid the first stone of Mehrangarh and Bikaner fort.
The Rat Temple:
Thousands of rats revered by the pilgrims of Karni Mata in the temple. Also, these rodents have given protection in the temple. Devotees say, if any rat has scamper around your toes, it considered as a god’s blessing. White rat is another attraction of this temple. There are very few white rats in the temple among thousands of black rats. If you can manage to see a glimpse of any white rat, you can call yourself the luckiest person.People usually try to attract white rats by offering food, sweets, etc. But believe me, luck is not that cheap!! It starves of good karma, not sweet food. Another fact of the temple is, even during the worst case of plague infection, not a single patient had found in the village.
Architecture:
As holy places in Rajasthan, Karni Mata temple is also a magnificent piece of architecture. This temple is constructed in the early period of the 20th century by the king Ganga Singh of Bikaner.The temple has an opulent silver door with panels, and that has a carving of various holy symbols of god in the Hindu religion. The inner sanctum of the temple has an idol of the goddess that makes you feel the divine connection of grace and power. It also has a golden plated ceiling that too carved beautifully.
1. How to reach?
Karni Mata Temple is located in NH89, Deshnok Village, 19 miles from Bikaner. You can be reached by:
• Jodhpur is nearest from the Deshnok village (Karni Mata Temple).
• Deshnok station is nearest Railway station from Karni Mata Temple
By Road
One of the most convenient ways to reach the temple is by hiring local taxis from Bikaner city, costing approximately INR 800/- to INR 1,000/- for 18.5 miles and you will reach within 30 mins. You can also take local bus services from Bikaner Junction to Deshnok village which takes 30 mins to reach. Ticket fares are approximately between INR 240/- to INR 350/-.By Rail
There are the trains that operated from Bikaner Junction till Deshnok station.|
Train No. |
From Bikaner |
To Deshnok |
Distance (Approx.) |
Duration |
Fare |
|
14707 |
09:30 am |
09:45 am |
20 Miles |
24 Min |
INR 75 - INR 85 |
|
59705 |
10:00 am |
10:33 am |
20 Miles |
33 Min |
INR 75 - INR 85 |
|
14887 |
11:00 am |
11:26 am |
20 Miles |
26 Min |
INR 75 - INR 85 |
|
22308 |
06:45 am |
07:09 pm |
20 Miles |
24 Min |
INR 75 - INR 85 |
|
22982 |
11:10 am |
11:34 pm |
20 Miles |
24 Min |
INR 75 - INR 85 |
From Deshnok station, Karni Mata temple is just 245m away. You can reach there by walk within 5 min.
2. Visiting Details
|
Timings |
5:00 am to 10:00 pm (all days of week) |
|
Entry fees |
No entry fees |
|
Time to explore temple |
1 to 2 hours |
|
Best time to visit |
Between the fairs and festivals of Karni Mata. That is during March-April and September-October. |
Spirituality and magnificent architecture go hand in hand here. To feel this divine connection of beauty and grace, you should visit Karni Mata temple once in a life. So, don’t lose a chance to shower blessings of Karni Mata upon you and try your luck card to find a white mouse. Visiting the temple will give you a thrilling and fantastic experience!