Travelling Storyteller – Karni Mata Rat Temple

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Goto comments Leave a comment Blog

Sometimes there is born a person who is more than human, this was true of Karni Mata. Filled with the power of the great Goddess of victory, Durga, Shiva’s wife, Karni Mata performed many miracles throughout her life.

She began by saving the life of her father after he was bitten by a snake. Later she turned into an eagle, to help a young woman get to her wedding.

And another time she saved a merchant sailor from a storm, whilst never stopping milking her cow.

But when her son, Lakhan, died she was unable tp resurrect hm. She went to the God of Death, Yama, and asked him to bring her son back. Yama apologised, “I’m afraid he’s already been reincarnated,” he said, “as a rat.”

Karni Mata then made a deal with Yama, that from that moment on all her descendants would be reincarnated as rats until they could once again be human.

So that is what happened and to this day the Charan tribe – a tribe of bards, poets, writers and storytellers – are reincarnated as rats and looked after at the temple of Karni Mata.