There is a place on earth where this animal, despised everywhere, is worshiped. Many consider the rat, which spreads deadly diseases, to be the enemy of man. But here in North India in the state of Jammu, the rats are not insulted, but worshiped, eaten and drunk with them. Believers are honored to drink milk spoiled by rat excrement and saliva.
The temple of the goddess Karni Mata is located here. Europeans who come here are in for a shock. There are many rats running around in the temple, about twenty thousand of them. Priests and parishioners bring them fruits, milk and cereals, which are poured and poured into special bowls. The entire floor in the temple is covered with rodent excrement. There are many images of a goddess who is shown surrounded by rats.
Mahindra Depurui, the main minister of the temple, talks about the sacred animals: “They crawl into our bed, under the covers, in the pants and under the shirt. When I sleep, they sleep next to me, when I pray, one of the little ones sits on my head. The rats bit me many times, at least fifty, but I never got sick with anything. The priest's conviction is contrary to medical evidence. A rat bite is known to cause rabies. Every half hour in India a person dies from this disease. However, everyone entering the temple must take off their shoes and walk barefoot.
It is believed that Karni Mata is the progenitor of all rats on earth. Mahindra explains: “Rats are our ancestors, we are their descendants. When we die, we will be reborn as rats within the walls of the temple."
According to legend, Karni Mata tried to resurrect the accidentally drowned boy whom she loved very much. But the child has already managed to be reborn in the body of a rat. Then the goddess decided that all her children would be born in the body of rats, and when they die, they will be reborn into a human body.
The concept of reincarnation, or rebirth, is central to Hinduism. The chain of rebirths, samsara ends with the achievement of supreme bliss, according to the law of karma, a person's actions in one birth are the reason for his existence in the next birth in another body. A person can also be born in the body of an animal. Many will say that the rat's body is a strange choice, because they have killed many people by infecting them with diseases.
The worst disease spread by rats is plague. In the XIV century, the plague killed more than 60% of the population of Europe, according to the calculations of historians around the world, 75 million people died from this disease. Even now, in some countries, including India, people continue to die from this deadly disease.
A female rat gives birth to up to two thousand cubs a year. Rats defecate up to forty times a day. Contact with their secretions can lead to infection with typhus or cholera. Bacteria, viruses and parasites are transmitted from rats to humans.
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Apart from humans, the rat is the most destructive creature on the planet, generating hundreds of billions in losses a year. Scientists believe that if we did not fight and destroy rats, they would gradually oust humans and take the place of the main species on Earth.
However, followers of Karni Mata believe that rats can cure disease, not cause it. When believers are sick, they go to the temple and eat with the sacred rodents. The most popular ritual is that after a daily or weekly abstinence from food, the believer gives the rat a bite of the banana, and then eats it himself. Or he drinks milk from a bowl, from which the rat drank before.
Temple priest Garjindar Singh was diagnosed with a fatal prostate cancer. He observed all the rituals, fasted, prayed, cleaned the altar and the floor in the temple. Singhu also killed the flesh, for this he lay naked on the steps of the Karni Mata temple, exposing himself to the bites of sacred rodents. After that, he ate bananas with them. “Once, when I was writhing in pain, I suddenly saw a light above the head of the sculpture of the goddess. I felt her touch me. Immediately I felt better, I got up and went. I am completely cured. Tests showed that the tumor had resolved. Doctors, who measured the priest only a few months of life, threw up their hands.
Parishioners have thousands of such experiences to share. Karni Mata and her woolen entourage save a person from various ailments and minor troubles. They can bestow success and profit in business for the believer, save a relative from prosecution, bestow love and consent in marriage, or cure infertility.
Rats are closer to humans than we imagine. Their genetic similarities and intelligence make them excellent models for scientific experiments. If these animals are kept in the house, like a dog or a cat, they show friendliness and intelligence. Rats are trainable, able to learn various tricks, like dogs or dolphins.
For six hundred years, there has never been an outbreak of plague or other disease transmitted by rodents near the Karni Mata temple. Moreover, during epidemics, people come to the temple and ask to be protected from a deadly disease.
Mahindra Depurui explains: “Rats are our ancestors, they will not harm us. People who are afraid of rats are stupid."
The spirit of Karni Mata descends on some believers. Then they fall in front of the altar and go into a trance, spinning in place.
Rats surround them, believers kiss their faces. Believers have no doubt that they will be reborn as beasts on four legs within these walls. There was a time when a young man came to the temple to pray before the university exam. Suddenly he fell into a trance, fell on his back and screamed all night. The next morning the guy calmed down, got up and left the temple. No one ever saw him again. On the same day, an unusually large rat appeared in the temple. Parishioners believe that the young man was reborn into a rat, bypassing the transition through death.
Meanwhile, in another state of India, Mizoram, rats are considered the No. 1 enemy. Mizoram is located in the north-east of India and is separated from the main part of the country by Bangladesh. The population of Mizoram is familiar with the phenomenon of mautam - this is the name of a disaster, when the number of rats increases incredibly, and they completely devour the crop that has ripened in the fields. Then hunger sets in.
The last time it happened was in 2007. Then the rats ate about 200 thousand tons of rice, and in addition, completely destroyed the crops of corn. Child mortality has tripled. To combat the disaster, the authorities called on the population to exterminate the rats. A bonus of 2 rupees was awarded for each tail handed over. Residents donated about 1.5 million tailings, which were collected in heaps and burned on the squares of the villages. However, this measure did not help much. Rats multiplied exponentially, eating everything in their path.
Famine happened in the state earlier, in 1959, in 1911 and in 1863. It is easy to see that the rat invasion occurs with a period of 48 years. Residents of Mizoram know that the increase in the population of black rats is preceded by the flowering of bamboo, which occurs every 48-49 years. The rodent infestation occurs six months after the flowering of the bamboo.
Believers are honored to drink milk spoiled by rat excrement and saliva.
Black rats always live in bamboo forests, where food is scarce. It happens that females devour their own offspring in order to survive. However, during the fruiting period of bamboo, a lot of food appears for rats. They eat bamboo forests naked, but when the fruit runs out, they go to the surrounding fields.
So who are the rats for humans - friends or enemies? It seems that everything depends on the place and point of view.
Ivan Rybakov