It is known that respect for animals is characteristic of Eastern religions, Buddhism and Hinduism. This is quite logical, because Buddhism teaches us to love all living beings, and the followers of Hinduism generally believe that after the death of a person, his soul can be reborn in the body of an animal.
But sometimes the principles of love and respect for all living things, practiced in the East, take forms that frighten Europeans.
For example, in the Indian city of Deshnok in Rajasthan there is a temple where rats are worshiped. In the temple of St. Karni Mata, about 20,000 rats live permanently. Temple attendants and local residents take care of the animals, clean the premises and chase birds of prey. Rats feed mainly on sweets and milk, bowls with which are placed all over the floor. Only diseases associated with malnutrition (for example, diabetes) and self-regulation inhibit the growth of the rodent population in the temple - aggression towards fellow tribesmen awakens in crowded animals.
Karni Mata lived in the 14th century and was widely revered as the embodiment of the goddess Durga during her lifetime. It is believed that she not only knew how to work miracles and led the righteous life of a saint, but was also an outstanding political figure. But, unfortunately, misfortunes also happen to the saints. Once in the town of Deshnok, Karni Mata's stepson drowned in a pond. The heartbroken woman begged Yama, the Indian god of death, to resurrect the boy, but he refused. In response to this, the saint declared that from now on, none of her relatives would go to Yama after death. Instead, they will temporarily occupy the body of rodents, and in the next cycle of rebirth, they will again become humans.
Several hundred families in Deshnok claim to be the descendants of Karni Mata, so the rats are provided with first-class care. Accidental killing of a rat (the fact that this can be done on purpose here does not even occur to anyone) is considered a serious crime among believers, and in order to atone for such a sin, you need to donate a life-sized silver or gold figurine of a rat.
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Hundreds of pilgrims and just curious tourists visit the temple every day. If you decide to join them, keep in mind that you can enter its territory, like any other Hindu temple, only barefoot. And yes, the likelihood of a rat running down your leg is very high.
By the way, it is believed that from the point of view of sanitation, visiting this strange sight is safe. So in Deshnok, since the foundation of the temple in the 15th century, there has not been a single plague epidemic.
But the Temple of Snakes on the Malay island cannot be called safe, because it really is teeming with poisonous snakes. Reptiles feel like masters here and freely crawl everywhere - on the floor, on statues and altars. There are several legends explaining the attachment of snakes to this place. One of them says that animals themselves crawl into the temple to honor the memory of the monk Chor Soo Kong, in whose honor it was founded by Chinese settlers. It is believed that during his lifetime this monk was the patron saint of snakes. The second version sounds more believable. The temple was built in 1850, at that time people had just started to populate Penang Island, actively cutting down the surrounding jungle. Snakes, whose habitat was destroyed, often crawled into peasant dwellings, where, of course, they were not welcome and tried to kill them if possible. And only the monks of the temple were friendly to them and gave them shelter.
Today, monks bring snakes to the temple themselves - this allows them to maintain its popularity and collect good donations. The snakes are made safe by decanting the poison.
Anastasia Zakharova
