Throughout history people have looked for someone or something to worship. Some worship gods or goddesses, deities, the earth, nature, or patron saints. Most of us, even if we don’t’ believe the same, can almost understand, patron saints watch over people, deities ensure good crops, health, happiness, the earth helps feed and provide for us. Some tribes believe that animals watch over them, their spirits tied, empowering them. All relatively understood so far right? What if the animal in question was a rat?

Most people will instinctively think, Ewww! A rat? Why would anyone want to worship a rat? Rats are known for harboring disease, pestilence, or plague. They are known for being dirty, crawling in sewers, under homes, causing destruction. But not everywhere, for some, rats are worshiped, holy vessels carrying the souls of storytellers, clansmen who have passed on, a haven until they can be reborn into another life.

The Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke, India is one such place. The Temple is a holy place, visited by people from all over India, coming to worship, hoping to be touched by one of these rats. The temple itself was built in the 1900s, paying homage to the goddess Karni Mata, who is believed to be the reincarnation of the goddess of victory and power, Durga. The story of how this goddess became the rat goddess is interesting, and explains why these small furry creatures are considered holy. It is said that one of the children of Karni Mata’s clan died. After failing in an attempt at reincarnation, she visited the god of death, Yama, to find out why. Hearing that the child had already been brought back, Karni struck a deal with Yama. Not wanting to lose any of her clan to another, she asked that her clan, upon their death and until they were reincarnated in human form, inhabit the form of a rat. Yama agreed to the request, keeping Karni’s clan intact, though not always in human form.

Knowing and believing the story, Maharaja Ganga Singh built the temple as a tribute to the goddess. The floors are inlaid with marble panels, as well as the entrance to the temple, intricate detailed patterns carved into the marble. Gold and silver decorations can be found through the temple, many of them rats, or kabbas placed as atonement by a visitor who has accidentally killed one of the inhabitants. There are over 20,000 rats that are said to live here, with their own holes and tunnels built into the construction to allow them to move freely from area to area within. A rat running over your bare feet, or the honor of eating after one, is said to be good luck, spotting a white one even better. The white are said to be a manifestation of Karni Mata, there are very few of them, and seeing one is rare.

Though the picture may make you uncomfortable, perhaps there is some truth to the story, and maybe these rats are holy. Unlike any other place where rats roam free, there have been no cases of disease reported from any of the numerous visitors to the temple, nor have there been any rat borne illness or disease outbreaks in the town that houses the temple.

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