Karni Mata
Encyclopedia
Karni Mata (2 October 1387 – ) was a female Hindu
sage born in the Charan
caste and is worshiped as the incarnation of the goddess Durga
by her followers. She is an official deity of the royal family of Jodhpur
and Bikaner. During her lifetime, she laid the foundation stone of two of the important forts in Rajputana
. She lived an ascetic life, and most of the temples dedicated to her were dedicated during her lifetime. A temple dedicated to her during her lifetime differs from others in that it does not contain an image or idol of her but rather contains a foot-print to symbolize her visit to that place. The most famous of her temples is the temple of Deshnoke
, which was created following her mysterious disappearance from her home. The temple is famous for its rats
, which are treated as sacred and given protection in the temple. This temple is near to Bikaner and Nokha. The second name of Karni mata is (Nari bai). Contrary to some reports, the temple is of the Hindu sect and is not affiliated with the Jainism
.
, 30 km from Bikaner, in its present form was completed in the early 20th century in the late Mughal
style by Maharaja Ganga Singh
of Bikaner. The temple was further enhanced by Kundanlal Verma of Hyderabad-based Karni Jewelers in 1999. The huge silver gates to the temple and the marble carvings were also donated by him.
Throughout the year, pilgrims from around India visit to pay religious tribute to Karni Mata at the Deshnoke
temple. Outside Rajasthan
, she is respected and loved in areas such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana
. During Navratri thousands of people travel to the temple by foot. If one of the rats is killed, it must be replaced with one made of solid gold. Sighting a white rat amidst hordes of black rats is considered specially auspicious.
, implored Yama
, the god of death, to restore the life of the son of one of her storyteller. Yama refused, and Karni Mata incarnated the dead son and all of the storytellers as a rat, under her protection.
Karni Mata was born on 2 October 1387 in the village of Suwap in the Jodhpur district
of Rajasthan
. The seventh daughter of Mehoji Charan
and his wife Deval Devi, her original name was Ridhubai. According to legend, she earned the honorific name Karni at age six by miraculously curing her aunt. Mata—a term meaning "mother"— was commonly added to the names of those worshipped as mother goddess
es.
She married Dipoji Charan of the village of Sathika around AD 1415 but did not live a conventional "married life."
Later on she arranged the marriage of her husband with her younger sister Gulab. She lived in her in-laws' village for about two years before leaving with her followers and a herd of cattle to live a nomadic life, camping at sunset. One such a camp was made at village Jangloo, but a servant of Rao Kanha who was ruler of the place denied them access to water for people and cows. On this, Karni Mata declared her follower Rao Ridmal of Chandasar as new ruler of the village and continued on her journey. When she reached near Deshnok, Rao Kanha himself came to oppose her camping but he died. Karni mata stopped further wandering and started living there. Her husband Depoji died in AD 1454. Rats became sacred in her temple when Karni Mata's stepson Laxman drowned in a tank he was attempting to drink from.
Legend has it that Karni mata implored Yama
, the god of Death; though he at first refused, Yama eventually relented, permitting Laxman and all of Karni mata's male children to be reincarnated as rats. In AD 1453, she gave her blessing to Rao Jodha
of Jodhpur
in conquering Ajmer
, Merta and Mandor. In 1457, she went to Jodhpur
at Rao Jodha's request to lay the cornerstone of the fort at Jodhpur.
Her first temple was constructed in the village of Mathaniya
during her lifetime by her follower Amara Charan. In AD 1472, she arranged the marriage of Rao Bika
(the fifth son of Rao Jodha) and Rang Kunwar (daughter of Rao Shekha of Pungal) to turn the enmity of the Rathor and Bhatian families into friendship. In 1485, she laid the foundation stone of the fort of Bikaner at the request of Rao Bika. In 1538, Karniji went to visit Maharaja of Jaisalmer
. She was travelling back to Deshnok with her stepson Poonjar and few other followers on 21 March AD 1538. They were near Gadiyala and Girirajsar of Kolayat
district in Bikaner district
where she asked the caravan to stop for water. She disappeared there reportedly at the age of 151 years.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
sage born in the Charan
Charan
Chāraṇ is the term for a caste living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. According to Shrimada Bhagwata Skand Charans were created along with other divine forms such as Yaksha, Gandharvas, Kinnara, Sidhdhas, Apsara, etc. and lived with them in Heaven...
caste and is worshiped as the incarnation of the goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
by her followers. She is an official deity of the royal family of Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
and Bikaner. During her lifetime, she laid the foundation stone of two of the important forts in Rajputana
Rajputana
Rājputāna was the pre-1949 name of the present-day Indian state of Rājasthān, the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. George Thomas was the first in 1800 A.D., to term this region as Rajputana...
. She lived an ascetic life, and most of the temples dedicated to her were dedicated during her lifetime. A temple dedicated to her during her lifetime differs from others in that it does not contain an image or idol of her but rather contains a foot-print to symbolize her visit to that place. The most famous of her temples is the temple of Deshnoke
Deshnoke
Deshnoke is a small town in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India, near the Pakistan border and about 30 km from Bikaner.Deshnoke is famous for its 600 year old Karni Mata temple where rats are worshipped. Goddess Karni mata is worshiped by the royal family as well as general public of...
, which was created following her mysterious disappearance from her home. The temple is famous for its rats
Black Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
, which are treated as sacred and given protection in the temple. This temple is near to Bikaner and Nokha. The second name of Karni mata is (Nari bai). Contrary to some reports, the temple is of the Hindu sect and is not affiliated with the Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
.
Karni Mata temple, Deshnoke
The Karni Mata temple at DeshnokeDeshnoke
Deshnoke is a small town in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India, near the Pakistan border and about 30 km from Bikaner.Deshnoke is famous for its 600 year old Karni Mata temple where rats are worshipped. Goddess Karni mata is worshiped by the royal family as well as general public of...
, 30 km from Bikaner, in its present form was completed in the early 20th century in the late Mughal
Mughal architecture
Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architecture, is the distinctive style developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It is symmetrical and decorative in style.The Mughal dynasty was...
style by Maharaja Ganga Singh
Maharaja Ganga Singh
His Highness General Sir Maharaja Ganga Singh GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GCStJ, GBE, KCB was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bikaner from 1888 to 1943...
of Bikaner. The temple was further enhanced by Kundanlal Verma of Hyderabad-based Karni Jewelers in 1999. The huge silver gates to the temple and the marble carvings were also donated by him.
Throughout the year, pilgrims from around India visit to pay religious tribute to Karni Mata at the Deshnoke
Deshnoke
Deshnoke is a small town in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan, India, near the Pakistan border and about 30 km from Bikaner.Deshnoke is famous for its 600 year old Karni Mata temple where rats are worshipped. Goddess Karni mata is worshiped by the royal family as well as general public of...
temple. Outside Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, she is respected and loved in areas such as Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
. During Navratri thousands of people travel to the temple by foot. If one of the rats is killed, it must be replaced with one made of solid gold. Sighting a white rat amidst hordes of black rats is considered specially auspicious.
The legend
According to a local legend, Karni Mata, the 14th century mystic and an incarnation of Hindu goddess DurgaDurga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, implored Yama
Yama
Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
, the god of death, to restore the life of the son of one of her storyteller. Yama refused, and Karni Mata incarnated the dead son and all of the storytellers as a rat, under her protection.
Biography
Jodhpur district
Jodhpur District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Jodhpur is the administrative headquarters of the district.As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Rajasthan , after Jaipur.-History:...
of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. The seventh daughter of Mehoji Charan
Charan
Chāraṇ is the term for a caste living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. According to Shrimada Bhagwata Skand Charans were created along with other divine forms such as Yaksha, Gandharvas, Kinnara, Sidhdhas, Apsara, etc. and lived with them in Heaven...
and his wife Deval Devi, her original name was Ridhubai. According to legend, she earned the honorific name Karni at age six by miraculously curing her aunt. Mata—a term meaning "mother"— was commonly added to the names of those worshipped as mother goddess
Mother goddess
Mother goddess is a term used to refer to a goddess who represents motherhood, fertility, creation or embodies the bounty of the Earth. When equated with the Earth or the natural world such goddesses are sometimes referred to as Mother Earth or as the Earth Mother.Many different goddesses have...
es.
She married Dipoji Charan of the village of Sathika around AD 1415 but did not live a conventional "married life."
Later on she arranged the marriage of her husband with her younger sister Gulab. She lived in her in-laws' village for about two years before leaving with her followers and a herd of cattle to live a nomadic life, camping at sunset. One such a camp was made at village Jangloo, but a servant of Rao Kanha who was ruler of the place denied them access to water for people and cows. On this, Karni Mata declared her follower Rao Ridmal of Chandasar as new ruler of the village and continued on her journey. When she reached near Deshnok, Rao Kanha himself came to oppose her camping but he died. Karni mata stopped further wandering and started living there. Her husband Depoji died in AD 1454. Rats became sacred in her temple when Karni Mata's stepson Laxman drowned in a tank he was attempting to drink from.
Legend has it that Karni mata implored Yama
Yama
Yama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
, the god of Death; though he at first refused, Yama eventually relented, permitting Laxman and all of Karni mata's male children to be reincarnated as rats. In AD 1453, she gave her blessing to Rao Jodha
Rao Jodha
Rao Jodha was a Rajput ruler of Mandore . He was the son of Rao Ranmal of the Rathore clan. He is known for founding the city of Jodhpur in 1459.-Ancestry:...
of Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
in conquering Ajmer
Ajmer
Ajmer , formerly written as Ajmere, is a city in Ajmer District in Rajasthan state in India. Ajmer has a population of around 800,000 , and is located west of the Rajasthan state capital Jaipur, 200 km from Jodhpur, 274 km from Udaipur, 439 km from Jaisalmer, and 391 km from...
, Merta and Mandor. In 1457, she went to Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
at Rao Jodha's request to lay the cornerstone of the fort at Jodhpur.
Her first temple was constructed in the village of Mathaniya
Mathaniya
Mathaniya is a village located in Jodhpur District, Rajasthan, India.it is 25 km away from Jodhpur at Nagaur roadit is famous for Karni mata temple which was first temple of goddesess...
during her lifetime by her follower Amara Charan. In AD 1472, she arranged the marriage of Rao Bika
Rao Bika
Rao Bika was the founder of the city and principality of Bikaner in present-day Rajasthan. He was a scion of the Rathore clan of Rajputs. He was a son of Rao Jodha, founder of the city and principality of Jodhpur....
(the fifth son of Rao Jodha) and Rang Kunwar (daughter of Rao Shekha of Pungal) to turn the enmity of the Rathor and Bhatian families into friendship. In 1485, she laid the foundation stone of the fort of Bikaner at the request of Rao Bika. In 1538, Karniji went to visit Maharaja of Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
. She was travelling back to Deshnok with her stepson Poonjar and few other followers on 21 March AD 1538. They were near Gadiyala and Girirajsar of Kolayat
Kolayat
Kolayat is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan.It is also the headquarters of the tehsil in the Bikaner Sub-division with the same name. The town is 51 kilometres from Bikaner on the highway to Jaisalmer .-History:...
district in Bikaner district
Bikaner district
Bikaner District is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The historic city of Bikaner is the district headquarters. Bikaner is also Division with the four district: Bikaner, Churu, Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh.-Geography:...
where she asked the caravan to stop for water. She disappeared there reportedly at the age of 151 years.
White Rat
Out of all of the thousands of rats in the temple, there are said to be four or five white rats, which are considered to be especially holy. They are believed be the manifestations of Karni Mata herself and her kin. Sighting them is a special charm, and visitors put in extensive efforts to bring them forth, offering prasad, a sweet holy food.External links
- Karni Explanation of Karni (Karniji)
- Read Details about Karni Mata Temple
- National Geographic News: Rats Rule at Indian Temple
- Deshnok Temple A three-minute video news report on Karni Mata, a/k/a the "Bagwati Karniji" temple in Deshnoke, Rajasthan. Accessed 10 August 2007.