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Shri Karni Mata Temple, Deshnoke

Deshnoke (Deshnok), about 30 km south of Bikaner, Bikaner district · Karni Mata, a Charan saint regarded as an incarnation of Durga (Shakti)

The marble temple where thousands of sacred rats, the kabbas, live as the goddess's family.

Karni Mata Temple is in Deshnoke, about 30 km south of Bikaner in Rajasthan. Karni Mata was a Charan woman saint, born in 1387 and said to have lived until 1538, worshipped as a form of Durga and as the family deity of the royal houses of Bikaner and Jodhpur. The temple is famous for about 20,000 rats called kabbas, which the Charans treat as the reborn members of her family. They run through the marble halls, and visitors walk barefoot among them. A white kabba is said to be a special blessing.

Timings

Temple open: Approx. 4:00 AM – 10:00 PM (travel guides; the temple trust does not publish a timetable we could find)
Aarti: Approx. 4:00–5:00 AM mangla aarti and 7:00 PM evening aarti (travel guides; check locally)

Daily rituals

About 4:00 AM – Mangla aarti: The temple opens. Priests offer milk and grain in large metal bowls, and the kabbas gather to eat.
Daytime – Darshan and feeding: Devotees see the goddess's image and offer prasad such as sweets, grain and milk to the kabbas.
About 7:00 PM – Evening aarti: The evening aarti, reported by travel guides.

Darshan types and costs

General darshan – Free. Walk-in. Waits are short on most days and long in the two Navratri fairs.

Sevas and costs at Shri Karni Mata Temple, Deshnoke

Prasad for the kabbas – Price at the shops or counter, small amounts. Check at the temple.

When: During darshan hours

Devotees offer sweets, grain or milk. Eating food that a kabba has nibbled is seen as a high honour.

How to book: Buy from shops at the temple gate or ask the staff. No booking is needed.

Persons allowed: Individual

Offer only traditional food and avoid packaged snacks.

Jadula (child's first haircut) – Check with the priests

When: As arranged

A festival guide says Rajput and Charan families bring infants for their first haircut and place the locks at the deity's feet.

How to book: Ask the temple priests.

Persons allowed: Family

How to book darshan

Darshan is free and walk-in. We found no official ticketing, no online booking and no temple-trust website to confirm. Do not pay online for darshan or puja.

Reach the temple from Bikaner by bus, taxi or train. No ticket is needed for darshan.
Remove your footwear at the shoe counter outside, and walk in barefoot.
Buy a small prasad for the kabbas if you wish and follow the staff's instructions.
After darshan, take your footwear back and leave.

Booking safely

We found no official online booking for darshan or puja. Do not pay anyone online for 'special darshan' or 'online puja'.
Settle prices for prasad, taxis and any priest's help before you start.

Darshan is walk-in and free. Pay only at shops and counters in person, and ask the price first.

Prasadam and offerings

Sweets, grain and milk for the kabbas – Small amounts. Offer traditional food only; avoid packaged snacks.

Food for the kabbas: The main offering. Keep it traditional and clean.
Replacement silver or gold rat: Temple custom says that if someone kills a rat by accident, they must replace it with a rat of solid silver or gold (Wikipedia). Walk carefully.

Dress code

Modest clothing. You must be barefoot inside. A festival guide says thin white socks are usually allowed for those who are uncomfortable; ask at the gate.

Temple etiquette

Remove shoes before you enter. Slide your feet instead of lifting them so you do not step on a rat.
Be respectful during aarti.
Do not chase, pick up or tease the rats.
A festival guide says photography is allowed, while a travel site says it is restricted or charged. Ask at the gate and do not photograph people at prayer.
Wash your hands and feet after the visit.

Why it matters

Karni Mata is the kuladevi, or family goddess, of the Charan community and of the Rajput royal houses of Bikaner and Jodhpur. According to Wikipedia, she blessed Rao Jodha and Rao Bika in founding their kingdoms, and tradition credits her with laying the foundations of Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur (1459) and the Bikaner Fort (1485).

The Charans believe that when a member of her family dies, he is reborn as a kabba, not taken by Yamraj, the god of death. So the rats are fed and cared for as kin. Eating food that a kabba has tasted is treated as a high honour (Wikipedia).

The temple is a place for vows and thanksgiving. Rajput and Charan families bring small children for their first haircut (jadula), according to one festival guide.

Legends

Laxman and Yamraj

Wikipedia gives the temple's legend. Karni Mata's young nephew (or stepson), Laxman, drowned in a pond. She took the boy's body and confronted Yamraj, the god of death, to bring him back. Yamraj finally agreed, and she declared that her family would no longer go to Yamraj. They would be born again as kabbas and live near her.

The white kabbas

A few white kabbas are believed to be Karni Mata and her four nephews. Seeing one is said to be a special blessing.

Karni Mata and the royal houses

Tradition says Karni Mata blessed Rao Jodha of Jodhpur and Rao Bika of Bikaner, and that she is the official deity of both royal families (Wikipedia).

History

1387 – 1538: The life of Karni Mata

Wikipedia gives her dates as 1387 (Vikram Samvat 1444) to 1538 (VS 1595) and her birthplace as Suwap near Jodhpur. These dates are traditional.

About 1530: First shrine

Wikipedia says the temple was first established about 1530 as a small inner sanctum under a dome and grew as devotees added to it.

Early 20th century: Marble temple by Maharaja Ganga Singh

The present marble temple in Rajput style was completed in the early 20th century under Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner, who also gave the solid silver doors (Wikipedia).

May 2025: Deshnoke station redeveloped

On 22 May 2025 the Prime Minister inaugurated the redeveloped Deshnoke railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme and flagged off the Bikaner–Mumbai Express from there (India TV, May 2025).

Architecture

The temple has a marble facade with solid silver doors given by Maharaja Ganga Singh. More silver doors at the entrance have panels showing the goddess's stories (Wikipedia).

The kabbas move freely through the main hall, the kitchen, side rooms and the rooftop. Priests feed them sweets, grain and milk. Devotees offer prasad to the kabbas inside.

What to see

The kabbas: About 20,000 rats (estimates run up to 25,000) live in the complex. Walk gently and slide your feet, because stepping on one is a serious matter in temple custom.
The white kabba: A few white rats are considered especially holy. Spotting one is seen as a blessing.
Silver doors: The main silver doors and the silver panels at the entrance showing the legends.
Mangla aarti: The first aarti of the day, reported at about 4:00 AM, with milk and grain offered in large bowls.

How to cover the temple

The usual route: leave footwear outside, walk barefoot through the marble halls among the kabbas, look for the white rat, see the silver doors and the goddess's image, and offer a little prasad. This is the common visitor route; the trust does not publish an official order.

From Bikaner or Deshnoke station: About 30 km from Bikaner by bus or taxi. The station is about 1 km from the temple (festival guide).
Shoe counter: Leave your shoes outside. Thin socks may be allowed; ask at the gate.
The entrance: See the marble facade and the silver doors given by Maharaja Ganga Singh.
The main hall: Walk slowly, sliding your feet. Look for a white kabba.
Karni Mata: Darshan of the goddess's image in the sanctum.
Prasad for the kabbas: Offer sweets, grain or milk if you wish, and then leave.

Customs and traditions

Kabbas as the goddess's family

The rats are fed and cared for as members of Karni Mata's Charan family, reborn.

According to the legend, Karni Mata stopped Yamraj from taking her family's souls, so they return as kabbas (Wikipedia).

Offer prasad in small amounts; eating food a kabba has nibbled is considered an honour, but it is voluntary.

Looking for the white kabba

A few white rats are believed to be Karni Mata and her four nephews.

Seeing one is considered a special blessing.

Stand quietly and look. Do not try to touch it.

Silver or gold rat for a dead rat

If a rat is killed by accident, the person must replace it with one of solid silver or gold.

Temple custom (Wikipedia).

Walk carefully so it does not happen.

Jadula (first haircut)

Rajput and Charan families bring infants for their first haircut at the goddess's temple.

Kuladevi custom described in a festival guide.

Ask the priests.

For elders and differently-abled visitors

Access: Moderate. The temple is on flat ground with no climb, but you must be barefoot on marble that can be hot, among rats that may run past your feet. Elders who tire or slip easily should go early, take a helper and think about whether barefoot walking suits them.

No separate senior-citizen queue was found.
No wheelchair information was found. Ask at the gate. The rats and barefoot rule make wheelchair use uncertain.
No stairs or climb were found in the sources we read.

Waiting time

Not published. Usually short outside the fairs.

The Chaitra (March–April) and Ashwin (September–October) Navratri fairs.

Best time to visit

October to March for pleasant weather. The two Navratri fairs, Chaitra (March–April) and Ashwin (September–October), are the biggest. Summer in Bikaner is very hot.

Festivals

Chaitra Navratri fair (Chaitra Shukla Ekam to Dashami (March–April))

The larger of the two fairs. Many pilgrims walk to Deshnoke (Wikipedia). The Oran Parikrama, a circuit of about 42 km around the sacred grove, draws tens of thousands in the Navratras (Wikipedia).

Ashwin Navratri fair (Ashwin Shukla Ekam to Dashami (September–October))

The second, smaller fair.

How to reach Shri Karni Mata Temple, Deshnoke

By air: Nal Airport at Bikaner is the nearest (festival guide). Jodhpur and Jaipur are the larger airports.
By rail: Deshnoke railway station is about 1 km from the temple (festival guide) and was redeveloped in 2025 (India TV). Check the timetable for trains from Bikaner.
By road: Deshnoke is about 30 km south of Bikaner. Buses and taxis run from Bikaner's main bus stand.

Road safety

Deshnoke is on a flat highway about 30 km south of Bikaner, so the drive is easy. The main concerns are desert heat, big Navaratri fair crowds, and walking barefoot among thousands of wild rats.

The temple is in the town of Deshnoke, off the highway. A festival guide says the railway station is about 1 km from the temple. Expect crowded lanes in the two Navratri fairs.

Full road-safety guide

Where to stay

Most visitors stay in Bikaner and do Deshnoke as a half-day trip. There are simple dharamshalas near the temple; the trust's rooms are not published online.

Hotels in Bikaner – approx. ₹1,200 – ₹6,000/night. Book through known travel sites.
Dharamshalas near the temple – Check on arrival. Walk in.

Suggested plan

Half-day from Bikaner

Leave Bikaner early in the morning by bus or taxi (about 30 km).
Remove footwear and see the temple and the kabbas.
Return for lunch, then visit Junagarh Fort.

Tips

Go early morning or late afternoon. Midday is very hot.
Wear socks you do not mind getting dirty, if allowed; otherwise carry wet wipes.
Do not eat or drink anything the rats have touched unless you accept the custom. It is a personal choice and is not required.
If you are not well, have open wounds, or have a weak immune system, think carefully about walking barefoot among wild animals.

Frequently asked questions

Are the rats dangerous?

We did not find an official health statement. Rats are wild animals. Wash your hands and feet afterwards, and see a doctor if you are bitten or feel unwell.

Do I need to be barefoot?

Yes, shoes come off. Ask at the gate about socks.

How many rats live there?

Sources say about 20,000 to 25,000.

What if I step on a rat?

Temple custom says you must replace it with a rat of silver or gold (Wikipedia). Walk carefully.

Temples nearby

Salasar Balaji Temple – Salasar, Sujangarh tehsil, Churu district (about 197 km by road)
Jagatpita Brahma Temple, Pushkar – Pushkar, Ajmer district (about 15 km from Ajmer) (about 224 km by road)
Khatu Shyam Ji Temple – Khatu, Sikar district (about 80 km from Jaipur) (about 286 km by road)

More Devi (Durga & Shakti) temples

Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam (Kanaka Durga Temple) – Indrakeeladri hill, Vijayawada, NTR district
Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple – Madurai, Madurai district
Sri Chamundeshwari Temple – Chamundi Hills, Mysuru, Mysuru district
Gangotri Temple (Shri Ganga Mata Mandir) – Gangotri, Uttarkashi district, on the Bhagirathi river (approx. 99–100 km from Uttarkashi)
Yamunotri Temple (Shri Yamuna Mata Mandir) – Yamunotri, Uttarkashi district, below the Bandarpunch massif, approx. 6 km above Janki Chatti
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine (Holy Cave), Trikuta Hills – Trikuta hills above Katra, Reasi district, Jammu & Kashmir

All Devi (Durga & Shakti) temples

No official website: We could not find a website that the temple trust runs, or one listed by a government source. Rajasthan Tourism has a page but it is a tourism portal, not the temple's own site.

Sources

Last checked: 2026-10. Timings and fees change – confirm with the temple before you travel.