The Micest Temple of India

India was already the subject of post 1x03, about the Hindu religion and why cows are holy. But they are not the only animals to be worshipped. The history of Hinduism tells about Gods that are (at least half) monkeys, elephants and so on.

There are other animals that, though not being Gods, are faithful helpers of the deity, to the point they surpass the God itself in popularity. If you want to visit the Karni Mata temple, for example, not many Indians will know what you are referring to; and not many people will be there because of Karni Mata. But because of the dwellers of the temple.

Rats.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 of them. In a very small environment.

They are running everywhere in this temple found in the middle of the desert of Rajasthan, in western India, not far from the border with Pakistan.

Why having a temple full of rats?

The temple of Deshnoke was built in the place where a woman, Karni Mata, nowadays a goddess, allegedly disappeared in 1538 at the age of 151 years. Some years before, one of her son drowned in a pond. Karni Mata implored the God of Death to send him back but he didn’t allow it, so they found a compromise: Laxman, the son, would reincarnate as a rat.

From that day, it is a common belief in the area that all the ancestors are reborn in the form of a rat; therefore, they are welcomed in the temple, where people give them food and other offerings. Many believers literally share the food from the same plate with the rats, as it is considered a way to honour those ancestors.

The rats in the temple are perfectly used to people. They are not aggressive but actually very playful, no cases of biting have been recorded despite all the people being, as in every temple, walking barefoot. Also, they are perfectly aware of all the people there, and vice versa. If a human kills a rat by stepping onto it, they must pay for a replacement copy made of silver. A further reason to be careful.

According to the local beliefs, after having spent one lifetime as a rat, the souls will again reincarnate as a human. In recent years, the place has become more and more touristic, and even National Geographic made a 5-minute report which is available on YouTube.