Karni Mata (Rajasthan)

Karni mata was born on 7th of Aswin shukla
1444 vikram sawant (October 2, 1387) in
village Suwap near Phalodi in Jodhpur district of
Rajasthan.

Karni Mata (Rajasthan) Hindu Temples

Karni Mata :(October 2, 1387(1387-10-02)-March 23, 1538) was a sage woman and is worshipped as incarnation of goddess Durga by her follower. She is an official deity of Jodhpur and Bikaner royal family. During her life-time she laid the foundation stone of two of the important forts in Rajputana. She lived the life of an ascetic. Some of temples were created in her worship during her life-time. The most famous of all temples is the temple of Deshnoke, which was created following misterious disappearence of her at place where she lived for the most part of her life. The temple is famous for rats, which are treated as sacred and given protection in this temple.

The temple in its present form was completed in the early 20th century in late Mughal style by Maharaja Ganga Singh. The huge silver gates to the temple, and the marble carvings were a donation of Maharaja Ganga Singh.Throughout the year pilgrims from anywhere come to pay religious tribute to Karni Mata at Deshnok temple. Outside Rajasthan she is respected and loved in areas like Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana. During Navratri thousands come to the temple on foot. If one of the rats is killed, it must be replaced with one made of solid gold.

The goddess

Karni mata was born on 7th of Aswin shukla 1444 vikram sawant (October 2, 1387) in village Suwap near Phalodi in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. She was seventh daughter of Mehoji Charan and his wife Deval Devi. Parents gave her name Ridhubai. According to a legend, she earned the name Karni at age of six years by curing her aunt with miracle. Mata means mother, and standard suffix for the goddess worshiped in form of mother. She was married to Dipoji Charan (son of Rao Keluji) of Sathi village. The marriage took place around 1415 AD. However, she never lived the married life. Later on she herself arranged the marriage of her husband with her younger sister Gulab.

She lived at her in-laws village Sathi for about two years. Afterward she left the village with her followers and a herd of cows to wander from place to place. She would camp where-ever sun-set occurs. One such a camp was made at village Jangloo, but a servent 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 moved on to the further 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 1454 AD. Rats became sacred in her temple when Karni Mata's stepson Laxman drowned in a tank he was attempting to drink from. Karnimata implored Yama,a god of Death but Yamah refused then relented and permitted Laxman and all of Karnimata's male children to reborn as Kaba (rat).

That was year 1463 AD, rats are still protected in her temple. In 1453 AD she gave her blesssing to Rao Jodha of Jodhpur in conquering Ajmer, Merta and Mandor. In 1457 she went to Jodhpur on Rao Jodha's request to lay foundation stone of fort of Jodhpur. Her first temple was constructed in village Mathaniya during her life-time by her follower Amra Charan. In 1472 AD, she arranged the marriage of Rao Bika (the fifth son of Rao Jodha) and Rang Kunwar (daughter of Rao Shekha of Pungal) to turn enimity of Rathor and Bhatian families into friendship. In 1485 she laid the foundation stone of the fort of Bikaner on 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 followerson 21st March 1538 AD. They were near Gadiyala and Girirajsar of Kolyat district in Bikaner district where she asked caravan to stop for the water. She disappeared there at the age of 151 years.

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