Location: Rats feeding on milk, Deshnok, Rajasthan, India (27� 47' 26? N, 73� 20' 27? E)
Date: 10 Jan 2009; 9.30am
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5
Kami Mata was a female Hindu sage worshipped as an incarnation of Durga. There were several temples built and dedicated to her. The most famous of all is the temple in Deshnok, a village south of Bikaner in Rajasthan. The temple is famous for its rats, known as kabas and is supposedly reincarnations of a family who have a member revived by Kami Mata. These rats, literally in the thousands, run riot over the temple complex, dashing around to feed on the food- fruits, sweets and so on- and milk left by pilgrims and worshippers. The rats vary in sizes but most of them are rather small. They are harmless and are quite fun to watch. There are holes around the temple courtyard to fascinate the rats' movements. It is considered auspicious to have a kaba running around and/or across your feet.
