"Bikaner - a Palace and a rat temple!" Top 5 Page for this destination Bikaner by tremendopunto

Bikaner Travel Guide: 83 reviews and 259 photos

garden inside Janagarh Fort - a true oasis

Bikaner is a a 10h busride from Delhi right in the Thar desert. Due to renovations of the railwaytracks (from summer 2006 to .....?) there was only the bus as a reasonable way of transportation. The bus leaves from Serai Khale Khan bus adda.

The Highlights of Bikaner are undoubtedly the magnificent Janagarh Fort - a well preserved Palace just like in fairytales.

RATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Karni Mata rat temple in Deshnok

The second wonder is the Karni Mata Rat Temple in Deshnok. Yes, it is a beautiful marble temple with silver doors.......just for rats!!!!!
Well, people in this region believe that their ancestors have a rebirth as rats. So to do something good for your ancestors they get a great place to stay (even the open air areas are protected with nets against hawks or other enemies looking for a snack) including a huge kitchen with pots of a diameter of three meters and more where all this delicious sweet meals are cooked for aproximately millions of rats!!!!

By the way, you are not allowed to enter with shoes of course. Watch your steps! You dont want to kill a reincarnation! If you are lucky, a rat will walk over your foot - that will bring you good luck in the future :-)
And if you are really lucky, you will see a white rat. That would be the jackpot! (if so much luck happens to you - run for a lottery ticket, you will win for sure, graranteed!!!)

The temple is situated in Deshnok, 40km from Bikaner. The bus will get you there in 40 minutes or so.

Here is a short clip of my Deshnok trip to the Karni Mata Temple

beautiful decorated rooms in Janagarh Fort

Pros and Cons

Pros:A fabulous Fort, an amazing animal adventure in Deshnok and a nice old town!
Cons:Cant see any............
In a nutshell:Dont miss it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last visit to Bikaner: Jul 2006
Intro Updated May 25, 2007
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Reviews (8)

Beautiful old town Things to Do (3)

Dive into the beautiful old town! Its dizzling narrow lanes full of busy shops, beautiful old houses, temples and nice... more travel advice

A classic bullfight Warnings and Dangers (1)

Again it is about the Indian City Jungle - and Indian cities give many examples: monkeys, wild boars, dog packs,... more travel advice

Rickshaws Transportation (2)

Rickshaws are the most convinient way to get around in places in India. The traffic is chaotic, but there is always... more travel advice

Evergreen or Deluxe Hotel Hotels (1)

It is not really "deluxe" but more a cheap place to stay. We payed 150 Rupees for a double....and wow, we had a tv :-) more travel advice

Shopping (1)
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Comments (5)

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lynnehamman Oct 3, 2011 at 9:21 PM

Nice tip on Rat Temple. I thought that it was a very interesting experience. And yes, I saw a white rat- but no lottery win unfortunately!
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cbeaujean Oct 1, 2007 at 7:31 AM

generally,I don't like at all normal rats.....but if you tell me they are so special,even,if whites,salutary...well,on we go! very interesting page,nice written,amazing pics.
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Luchonda Sep 7, 2006 at 3:21 AM

Indeed - impressive buildings thx for the memory
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tzuki Aug 29, 2006 at 2:54 PM

Nice page! well done. I did enjoy visiting it....
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umashanker Aug 24, 2006 at 9:09 AM

I waited for whole day to have glance of white rat as a twelve year old kid but of no avail.Great tips man.