About 30 km from Bikaner, the Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok is famous worldwide as the “Rat Temple.” Inside its marble courtyard and silver-doored sanctum live thousands of kābā (rats) that freely run around, feed from bowls of milk and grains, and weave between devotees’ feet. Far from being seen as pests, they are revered as sacred manifestations of the goddess’s devotees; spotting a rare white rat is considered especially auspicious. The temple’s marble façade, carved panels and silver gates add grandeur to this very unusual form of worship, making it both a powerful religious site and a unique cultural experience.
About this place
History & highlights
Karni Mata was a 14th–15th-century mystic and female sage of the Charan community, venerated as an incarnation of the goddess and associated with the founding and protection of several Rajput kingdoms, including Bikaner. Tradition says that the inner shrine at Deshnok was first built in the 15th century in her honour, while the grand outer temple we see today—with marble courtyard and silver doors—was completed in the early 20th century under Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner. The belief that Karni Mata’s devotees are reborn as rats in this temple underlies the practice of feeding and protecting the rodents. In recent years, the temple has gained even more attention through documentaries and travel shows, while conservationists and locals debate issues of hygiene, tourism pressure and protection of the surrounding sacred grove (oran).
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