Rajasthan - Padharo Mhare Des

[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We walked on


Nadinele Prince Haveli was recommended by Lonely Planet.


But the approach road was not very much acceptable


Hadn't it for Lonely Planet Guide Book, we would not have even taken a second look at going there


Some how we made it




Some people were enjoying a game of card - They warned us of the exhorbitant entry charges of the haveli and said you can see the same else where for free.


The entrance to the Haveli


The paintings outside the haveli - did not inspire much from wahta we have seen already








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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

They charged us an atrocious Rs 200 per person for the entry

The haveli as told by the gentlemen outside offered nothing new or refreshing compared to what we had seen already. All this was just a commercial hype, I think you can give this place a miss in your travels.

Anyways some pictures of the place to be fair with it.





















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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

Some more pictures






















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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We wound up the visit fast


Some info!


The outside of the haveli




We braved our way back through the mess



OMG! A huge Ox


It's a donkey's life






The last building we saw before we left Fatehpur


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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We moved on towards Bikaner








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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We stopped by at the National Research Centre on Camel


Ladies and kiddies waiting for the tickets to enter


There is a Camel Museum


Some pictures from the Museum
















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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

An article on NRCC


A camel School Bus


Different breeds of Camel

Bikaneri


Jaisalmeri


Kachchi


Mewari


Double humped Bactrians




NRCC


A painting


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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We went towards the place where camel riding was done




Camel Cart ride too was available


I wanted to see how the camel sits down and gets up. the following snaps show the sequence


















We did not take the ride here since it was planned for a different date and place in our itinery.

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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We went to the place where camels were kept









We saw the different breeds of camels














He had some parrots for company




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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

It was almost 16:00hours, we witnessed the Biblical home coming of the camels. It was a wonderful feeling to have seen the home coming of a hundred camels!

We watched the herd coming back

Biblical Home coming of Camels - YouTube

The home coming
















He likes all the attention he gets!




He gives me a portrait


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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

It was getting delayed and we started our return form NRCC.

Camel Cart Ride


The camel ride


Some paintings for sale




Camel shaped shrub!


Camel Milk Parlour


Flavoured Camel Milk


The expression says it all





I took a camel milk tea, which promptly ended up here, much to the amusement of this black guy


It's a dog's life


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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

Our Bus outside NRCC


We drove towards Deshnok






We reached Karni Mata Temple, Deshnok by 18:00 hours




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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner


Information from the web about Karni Mata Temple

The Karni Mata temple, Deshnok is situated 30 km from Bikaner. The temple is dedicated to an early 15th century mystic, considered to be a reincarnation of Goddess Durga. This temple is quite famous for a large number of brown rats running around the temple complex fearlessly. It is believed that the souls of dead Charans (traditional bards, the devotees of Mata) reside in these rats. It is considered very lucky seeing a white rat or when a rat runs over your foot.During the time of aarti, these rats are offered sweets, grains, etc by the devotees.The thing which strikes everyone with wonder is the presence of thousands and thousands of rats in the temple which freely moved about unscared of anyone Despite the presence of the pilgrims in great numbers. At no time in the past plague broke out here. There was no incidence of plague at all. People deem this as an miracle of Karanimata. In the whole world this is a unique temple where rats freely move out.

The priests of Shakta cult worshiped the Goddess. The rats are fed on Milk and Laddu. The descendants of Karnimata who are Depawats of the Charan Community worship the Goddess. Whenever someone's whishes are fulfilled, he prepares prasadam in two big cauldrons of iron. This prasadam is distributed amongst who are present and all who visit.

The idol of deity is one feet three inches wide and two and half feet tall. Bikaner's ruler Ganga Singh had the whole temple built in marble. The domes of the temple are made of silver and gold. The manadap and the panels above the image are also golden. Devotees place offerings in silver and gold when their prayers are answered.The elaborate works on the main gate of the temple is a tribute to the fine craftsmanship of the artisans of those days. The principal temple alongwith the circumambulatory path and outer walls is built of red stone but the main gate is grand and high and it is made of marble on which beautiful carving work has been done. Infrornt of the inner temple marble has been elegantly used. The entire floor of the temple is also of marble. Inside the inner temple the small shrine which is said to have been made 600 years ago by Karni Mata herself is present. This shrine the small one and it was built with brick and round stones.

Legends

The temple is also famous for its holy rodents who are revered as 'Kabas'.The legend goes that Karni Mata, a mystic matriarch from the 14th century, was an incarnation of Durga, the goddess of power and victory. At some point during her life, the child of one of her clansmen died. She attempted to bring the child back to life, only to be told by Yama, the god of death, that he had already been reincarnated. Karni Mata cut a deal with Yama: From that point forward, all of her tribespeople would be reborn as rats until they could be born back into the clan.In Hinduism, death marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one on the path to a soul's eventual oneness with the universe. This cycle of transmigration is known as samsara and is precisely why Karni Mata's rats are treated like royalty.

According to another legend, the Maharaja of Bikaner had a vision where Karni Mata appeared and asked him to protect her rats. The Maharaja then built the Karni Mata temple with marble and silver adornments.

Some pictures of Karni Mata Temple from outside


















Some information



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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

The stories engraved on the silver entrance doors














The idol of the Deity




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[laluks]

Day 02
24th December 2011
Mandawa - Fatehpur - Deshnok - Bikaner

We saw a lot of rats, all calm and composed
















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