Karni Mata: the temple in India where rats are honoured

What is the Karni Mata temple?

It is a working Hindu temple, and the rats are its honoured residents. The Tribune describes it as situated at Deshnoke, around 30 km from Bikaner, with "over 20,000" rats scurrying around. They are not pests to be chased out. They are fed every day, protected by the temple's rules and treated with real affection by the people who come to pray.

Locally the rats are called kabas. The spelling varies from source to source: The Tribune writes "the Kabas", while Discover Wildlife, the BBC Wildlife magazine website, uses "kaba". Discover Wildlife says worshippers think of them as kaba rather than as rats at all.

Who was Karni Mata?

Karni Mata was a holy woman of Rajasthan who is now worshipped as a goddess. Discover Wildlife says she was born in the village of Suwap in 1387, was said to have lived for about 150 years and to have performed miracles, and died in 1538. Those dates come from tradition as much as from records, so treat the long life as part of the story.

Why are the rats sacred?

Because of a promise Karni Mata made. In the version The Tribune tells, a child from her family drowned and Karni Mata "pleaded with Yama, the God of death, to restore the child back to life". Discover Wildlife adds that when Yama refused, she declared that the members of her family would be reborn as kaba and stay with her.

So, to the people who worship there, every rat is a member of Karni Mata's family. Discover Wildlife says worshippers believe the rats are reincarnated ancestors.

When was the temple built?

Nobody knows exactly when the first temple stood here, but the building you see today is about a century old. Discover Wildlife says the exact date of the first temple "has been lost to history" and that it was probably built before Karni Mata died in 1538; a caption on the same page says it was originally built in the 16th century. The Tribune says the present temple was built by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the early 20th century.

Work has not stopped since. Discover Wildlife reports that a new dome roof was added within the past decade and that rebuilding is still going on.

Karni Mata at a glance

How are the rats looked after?

Generously. The Tribune describes the rats eating sweets offered to the goddess, piled on a giant plate inside the inner shrine, and sipping milk from brass bowls placed around the temple. Discover Wildlife says visitors bring sweets, chickpeas and peanuts, and worshippers bring milk, grains and leftovers, often feeding the rats before they eat themselves. One local man, it reports, brings milk from his own cows.

The rats are also protected by firm rules. India TV News says devotees never kill or hit at them, and The Tribune says visitors are cautioned not to harm the rats in any way. If someone kills one by accident, The Tribune says they are expected to offer a silver replica of the rat to the goddess. Discover Wildlife adds that coins may be given to make amends if a rat is hurt.

What do visitors see at Karni Mata?

Rats, everywhere, living alongside people. Visitors leave their shoes outside, because Discover Wildlife says shoes are not allowed, and walk barefoot among the rats while they eat, drink and run about. Being touched by a rat is thought to be a blessing.

The rats share the place with other animals too. Discover Wildlife mentions rhesus macaques and langur monkeys among the temple's neighbours.

• Shoes off at the door: the temple is walked barefoot.
• Rats feeding from shared plates and bowls of milk.
• Worshippers offering sweets, grains and chickpeas.
• If you are lucky, a white rat.

Why is a white rat so special?

Because it is rare and it is thought to be the goddess herself. Discover Wildlife says a handful of the temple rats have white coats, caused by a recessive genetic trait, and that they are considered manifestations of Karni Mata. It quotes the travel writer Sophie Pearce: "Seeing a white rat is considered good fortune." India TV News agrees that spotting a white rat inside the temple is considered very lucky by devout Hindus.

Are the temple rats like pet rats?

They are cousins, not the same animal. Discover Wildlife identifies the temple rats as black rats. Pet rats, often called fancy rats, are descended from the brown rat, the RSPCA explains, and have been bred for generations to be calm, tame companions. The temple rats are free-living animals that happen to be very used to people.

What the two do share is a big social life. The RSPCA says pet rats are highly intelligent and sociable and should never be kept alone, and the temple shows that sociability on a grand scale: thousands of rats living together, sharing food and space. You can read more about how clever and social rats are in our rat facts.

What can rat owners take from Karni Mata?

That rats have been loved and honoured for centuries, long before the first pet rat shows. If the story makes you smile, the best way to honour it at home is simply to give your own rats a good life:

• Keep at least two rats together, as the RSPCA advises.
• Feed a balanced diet with small, healthy treats: our rat diet and nutrition guide explains how.
• Give them hides, shelves and places to climb, so they can live as busily as the temple rats do.
• Handle them gently and often, so they are as relaxed around people as the kabas.

For everything else, start with our pet rat care hub, or meet more famous rats from history.