KARNI MATA: holy indian rat temple

Thousands of holy rats running around the world famous Karni Mata temple- Deshnok, Rajasthan- India.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• india
• short
• film
• temple
• holy
• rats
• karni
• mata
• running
• feeding
• jumping
• friendly
• gross
• tumour
• eye
• cute
• dirty
• fighting

[xyqk]

thats soooo cute...the cutest thing i've ever seen in the world

[chavochavo22]

Hey where are the cats?

[fverkell]

Heaven for cats.

[cinnamongrrrrl]

@taintedsoul888 per Wikipedia: According to a local legend, Karni Mata, the 14th century mystic and an incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga, implored Yama, the god of death, to restore the life of the son of one of her storyteller. Yama refused, and Karni Mata incarnated the dead son and all of the storytellers as a rat, under her protection.

[mrsmaeee]

@daTruChosen I understand your fear I have one of spiders. You should go to a pet shop with rats and just watch them or if you know someone who has a pet just slowly become used to them just being around. As an owner a pet rat I can vouch that they are extremely intelligent animals and extremely loyal and affection creatures. They are like little dogs - to me anyway.

[ddkhan1]

as a Muslim, I find this extremely interesting.

[taintedsoul888]

I've been to this temple, it's not that they are worshipping the rats, I don't think rats are particularly significant in hindu mythology, apart from the fact that Ganesh travelled on a rat (yeah, elephant on a rat, fucking hell) Karni Mata also had nothing to do with rats.

I thinks it wa a case of the temple not minding the rats as such, extermination is certainly not an option, not in a temple. So they can't really do anything! So the rats stayed and eventually people started to like them haha

[daTruChosen]

Until I saw this video, I had NO idea rats even could be seen as sacred ... the idea is still difficult to accept, from a Westerner's frame of reference, wherein rats are invariably associated with corruption, uncleanness, and moral reprehensibility. Though it was hard to watch; exceedingly so, in fact, I admit to finding it informative, as such knowledge of these creatures invalidates many of my biases against them. I also wasn't aware they were so intelligent and adaptable, either.

[daTruChosen]

I have had a deathly, paralyzing fear (and thus, a burning, bitter hatred) of rats for most of my life, and am seeking to rid myself of it (along with that of heights). I understand that a certain amount of fear is a necessary result of the self-preservation instinct, but my fear of rats seems to serve no purpose, at all ... it's gripping on an almost primal level to me. Can ANYONE offer any suggestions as to what can be done to overcome it. I detest and am ashamed to have this weakness.

[Daligang]

@Luccasio1 It's because everywhere else, rats can easily catch a disease and spread it around like fire, in that temple they can't

[madiushrat]

Props on the orchestral Aphex.