As the legend in Bikaner goes, Karni Mata was a Hindu sage who is also worshipped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga. It is said that she was born on October 2, 1387 and lived till the ripe age of 151 years. She was born in the Charan caste and is also the official deity of the royal family of Jodhpur and Bikaner.
Karni Mata was born as Ridhubai to Mehoji Charan and Deval Devi. At the age of six, she magically cured her aunt of illness and gained the name of Karni. Mata in English literally translates to Mother, the one person who takes care of all and is commonly conferred on people who are worshipped as Goddesses. She was married to Dipoji Charan but this marriage could not last long. She arranged her younger sister, Gulab, to be married to her husband and she left home with a few of her disciples.
There are many temples built in the name of this saint but the most famous and significant one is at Deshnoke, which is 30 kilometers from Bikaner. The temple which was constructed and dedicated to her while she was alive does not contain any deity, rather it has footprints to symbolize her visit to that place.
Karni Mata Temple:
This temple was constructed after she mysteriously disappeared at the ripe age of 151 years. One of the most astonishing features of this temple is the large number of rats which inhabit the premises. They are worshipped as holy and are also given part of the Prasad that is offered to the Goddess. It is also said that if you see a white rat, which is at times a rare feat, then you are lucky and you will face better times in future. Therefore, this temple is also sometimes called as the Rat Temple.
The temple is known worldwide for these animals and surprisingly, they do not bite anyone even when the pilgrims are barefoot.
Legends about Rats:
The custom of worshipping rats in the Karni Mata Temple has its origins in the local folk lore according to which the Goddess had gone on a long penance to bring back one of her followers from the clutches of Lord Yama, the God of Death. He informed that the person had already taken birth as a rat and then he blessed Karni Mata with a boon that all her followers would be born as rats after their deaths till they are reincarnated as humans in their own clans.
According to another legend, the Goddess as a vision in front of Maharaja Ganga Singh and asked him to protect her rats. It was then that the Maharaja decided to build a temple of Karni Mata with marble and adorn it with silver.
Architectural Style: The whole temple is made up of marble and has silver and gold domes. The Mandap and the panels above the deity are also made up of gold. The main entrance to the temple has exquisite and intricate carving.
The deity is one feet three inches wide and two and a half feet tall. It is said that the shrine inside the temple is made by Karni Mata herself, around 600 years ago. Karni Mata Temple attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and the festival of Navratri is celebrated with all pomp and geity with the crowds increasing during that time.
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