India - A Unique Temple

Most of India holds very strong religious beliefs. The dominating religion is Hinduism, which is followed by about 80% of the population. Other religions that are followed include Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Judaism. Given the religious fervor, one can not travel through India without visiting a few temples. You should not be surprised if you come across a sign such as the one to the left. Actually, you should be prepared for just about anything as you approach each temple.

If you travel in the north of India, the temples of Khajuraho should not be missed. Unlike religious structures in most of the world, many of the temples in Khajuraho have images of various sexual acts. The carvings on these temples show different sexual pairings and positions between men, women, and animals. Not all the structures are as graphic as the picture to the right. I personally was most impressed with the Jain structures with many detailed non-erotic carvings. Let me just say that Khajuraho is well worth a visit, especially if you arrange to go while there is a festival being celebrated around town.

Although the temples in Khajuraho appear to be in a class of their own, by far the most shocking and unique temple experience I had was at a temple in Bikaner. The temple in Bikaner is known as the rat temple. Supposedly this is a temple devoted to the worship of rats and I had to go see this for myself. I took about a 4 hour bus ride for the sole purpose of visiting the rat temple. When I arrived outside the temple, I was surprised to find out that real rats run freely about the temple and I was required to take off my shoes before entering. Well, I was not mentally prepared to do that. I walked away and sat on a ledge contemplating actually going inside. The thought of rats running across my feet just did not sit well with me. I could not believe that I traveled roughly 4 hours by an old rickety bus and then chickened out from entering the temple. I really was beating myself up over this.

A nice American family had come out of the temple. I asked them what their experience was like. Were there lots of rats or just a few? Did any of them run over their feet? Although they told me there were a lot of rats, none had run over their feet. They told me I should definitely go inside. I really felt like I was being silly but at the same time thoughts of the bubonic plague, which was carried by rats and wiped out roughly 20 million people in Europe, kept creeping into my mind. Eventually one of them volunteered to walk in with me. I finally mustered the courage to do it.

The scene inside the temple was really unbelievable. There literally were thousands of rats running freely. They were treated like royalty. There were big containers with food and milk spread out for the rats to eat and drink. There was even an alter with rats all around where prayers could be said. Honestly this is something you have to see to believe.

Thanks to the American family I met, I managed to view the inside of the rat temple, and I lived to tell about it.