Karni Mata

Karni Mata is a revered Hindu saint in Rajasthan, India, famous for the Deshnoke temple where thousands of sacred rats are protected and fed.

Karni Mata, also known as Karniji, is a legendary Hindu saint from Rajasthan, India, born in the 14th century. According to legend, she is the reincarnation of the goddess Durga. Karni Mata is best known for the Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke, also called the Rat Temple, where thousands of rats, considered sacred, live freely and are fed by devotees. Believers hold that the rats in the temple are the reincarnations of Karni Mata's children and her close relatives.

The legend tells that Karni Mata was born as Ridhu Bai in a Charan family. Her parents were Meha Ji Nirwan and Deval Devi. She married Depaji Charan but lived a life of renunciation and devotion. Karni Mata is said to have used her divine powers to perform numerous miracles, including resurrecting a drowned child. When she prayed to Yama, the god of death, to bring the child back to life, Yama refused. Karni Mata then transformed the child and all his descendants into rats, ensuring their eternal protection. Karni Mata is also associated with the founding of several villages and the protection of local populations.