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You can’t argue taste or religion. Everyone is going to feel and believe different things. Be that as it may, when you find out what these people near Bikaner, India, are worshipping you’ll have a hard time not being shocked (or at least a little creeped out).
There’s a temple there called Karni Mata Temple in the town of Deshnoke that draws worshippers from all over the region. There is something special inside, called “kabbas,” that you can’t find anywhere else.
Karni Temple is special for one reason…
But these aren’t ordinary rats.
Devotees who flock to the temple believe the rats are holy animals.
They are fed, worshipped and protected.
The rats are literally everywhere.
The rats literally cover every surface.
And you must tread carefully there. If you were to step on one of the holy animals, you would need to replace it with one made of solid gold.
To keep the rats safe from predators, there are grates and grills in the courtyard.
Priests and caretakers live at the temple with the rats.
Not only do they protect them, but they also clean up after the rats.
With 20,000 rats running around, there’s a lot of excrement to sweep up.
The temple honors Karni Mata, or Karniji, a female Hindu sage.
The local folklore differs, but most rat origin stories revolve around an army of 20,000 soldiers.
They fled to the town seeking refuge and Karni Mata offered them shelter at the temple, knowing the punishment of deserters was death.
So, from that moment on, the grateful soldiers lived inside the temple as rats.
Whether you believe the rats are holy animals representing 20,000 soldiers, or you just believe them to be rats, seeing thousands of them inside of this temple must be impressive. (Even if it would seem at least a little unsanitary.)
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