Deshnoke, Bikaner, Rajasthan · 27.7906°, 73.3408°
The famed 'rat temple' of Deshnoke, where some 25,000 kabas — sacred rats — are fed, protected and honoured as reincarnated bards of the Charan community; spotting a rare white kaba is a blessing. Karni Mata, the warrior-sage who blessed the founding of both Bikaner and Jodhpur, remains royal tutelary goddess of the Rathores.
When her stepson Laxman drowned, Karni Mata wrestled Yama for his life; the compact reached decreed her clan would never enter Yama's realm — dying instead into rat-form and returning as humans, cycling forever within her sanctuary.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Rathore (Bikaner)