22-05-2025
Ahead Of PM Modi's Visit, A Look At Bikaner's Karni Mata Temple Where Rats Are Revered
The Karni Mata Mandir in Deshnoke in Rajasthan's Bikaner—that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit on Thursday—is a temple that is known for rats as much as it is known for its deity. The temple honours Karni Mata, believed to be an incarnation of the goddess Durga, and legend has it that she reincarnated her stepson and his descendants as rats.
The temple, a significant pilgrimage site for devotees of Charani sagatis, gained importance after the Partition, when access to the Hinglaj Mata Temple—one of the 51 Shakti Piths located in Pakistan—became restricted.
