Karni Mata Temple

The Karni Mata Temple, also popularly known as the Nari Mata Temple or 'Rat Temple', is a 600-year-old temple located around 30 km from Bikaner in a small town of Deshnoke in Rajasthan. What is unique about this temple is the fact that 25,000 black rats live, and are worshipped, in the temple. Infact, the food that is eaten by them is considered to be holy and is later served as 'prasad'.

These holy rats are known as kabbas, and people from all over the world travel great distances to come and visit the temple to pay their respects to these rats.  Numerous tales and legends are associated with the temple and the rats that live here, but no one knows the exact history of this unique shrine. 

The Karni Mata Temple is also noteworthy for its architecture that has been influenced by the Mughal style of construction. The beautiful temple is adorned with a fantastic marble facade and marble carvings that further add to the charm of this place. While the entire concept of this temple may seem as gross or weird to some, it is a unique experience altogether and is something you should not miss out.