After spending unforgettable time in the sanctuary, we reached the famous Deshnok temple, Bikaner which was also known as the Karni Mata Temple. We knew that the temple was famous for black rats of different sizes that had filled each and every corner in the temple compound.
The temple was named after the place and built between the 15th and 20th century by the then ruler of Rajasthan, Maharaja Ganga Singh. The basic design of the temple followed the style of the Mughals and the Rajputs.
The temple was situated at a distance of 30 kilometres from Bikaner and was famous for black rats of various types. It was believed that around 20,000 odd rats had made it their home. We thanked the local people that they did not dare to push the rats out of the temple. The rats were considered to be holy and were known as the kabbas. We learnt that many people had travelled long distances to pay their respect to these rats. The local people informed that many people from different parts of the world visited the temple sometimes in order to see such a huge number of rats living together at a single place.
The designs inscribed on the walls of the temple were superb and were one of the major attractions of the place. The marble facade and silver doors, which were built by Maharaja Ganga Singh, depicted the high quality of the architecture that was used at the time of construction. We learnt that it was only a few years back that the government had taken the initiative and renovated the temple as they realized that it was the centre of attraction for many nationals as well as international tourists. Some white rats, which were believed to be the sons of Karni Mata, were also present inside the temple. We saw many people offering food to those holy rats.
The Deshnok temple, Bikaner held an important position in the hearts of the Indians, especially those living in the west. We saw a large number of followers who had visited the temple that day in order to show their respect to the goddess and the rats.