There is an unusual temple in the Indian city of Deshnok. It is dedicated to a Hindu saint named Karni Mata. She is considered the embodiment of one of the most popular goddesses in Hinduism - Durga. The woman lived from 1387 to 1538, her age reached 151. She was a famous politician in India, had many followers, and then simply disappeared. Well, now there are from 20 to 25 thousand rats living in the temple.
According to the legend associated with Karni Mata, her stepson somehow decided to drink water from a local pond. However, he fell into the water and died. Karni Mata began to pray to God Yama and ask him to return the boy alive. But her prayers were not answered, and her desire remained unfulfilled. Then the woman made a promise that neither the drowned stepson, nor any other man from her caste would get to Yama. After death they will become rats, and in the next life they will become people again. It is also believed that the white rats of the temple are the incarnations of the saint's relatives.
There are indeed a lot of rats in the Shri Karni Mata temple. They are literally everywhere: they run freely around the temple, climb on fences, sleep in all corners and even fearlessly try to gnaw tourists' toes. After all, here, as in any other Hindu temples, before visiting you will need to take off your shoes and leave your shoes at the entrance. European tourists, of course, remain in their socks, but locals calmly walk around barefoot. And even, not at all embarrassed, they step into the scattered traces of the vital activity of thousands of local rats. And they also consider this a positive sign sent from above.
The temple consists of a main altar and several secondary altars, everywhere - marble floors. Only Hindus can get to the main altar, idly tourists are not allowed there by a specially exposed minister. But he gratefully accepts donations and gifts from them.
Gifts here can be transferred not only to people, but also to rats. There is a special cart in front of the temple, which sells socks, often used by other tourists, sweets and food for rodents. Also on the territory of the temple there are bowls of milk, also intended for rats. In the event that an inattentive tourist accidentally crushes one of these four-legged inhabitants of the temple, he will have to reimburse the temple for the same rat, but only made of silver or gold.
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Even among the local population, the Shri Karni Mata Temple is one of the most frequently visited attractions. What can we say about tourists. A special excitement is observed if someone sees a white rat. Rather, it is not white, but reddish-yellow. Everyone immediately takes out their phones and begins to photograph her, as some kind of rare occurrence. There is even a legend that the local rajah, who stopped by on the way to this temple, stayed in it until such a "white" rat deserves his attention.