Day 4 Bikaner to Ajmer

The day on the road started at 7 and our first destination was Karni Mata temple. This is the temple which many of you would have heard or read about; the temple of rats. Apparently, there are almost 25000 rats in and around the temple and are considered holy. The temple is 600 years old and is located in a small town called Deshnok.

Deshnok is 30 km from Bikaner and around 3 km inland from highway. The area around the temple is very clean and has typical shops selling snacks, breakfast and offerings to the god. We parked our motorcycle, bought puja thali and draped dupatta around our heads before entering the temple. It was the most unusual and quirky scene inside; rats and pigeons at every inch space and rats specially concentrated around a vessel full of milk. Rats and pigeons sharing together the bountiful of grain spread all around, I would rather call it the temple of rats and pigeons. Since rats are well aware that this is the safest place on earth for them, they were even taking a nap, fighting and didn't care how close they were to us. The locals mentioned about a white rat which is holiest of all and brings good luck if sighted. So, in search of good luck we did spend sometime staring at every rat in the room and trying to find the holy one. Alas we didn't succeed. There were two guys playing tabla and harmonium in Rajasthani folk style. It was mesmerizing just sitting there and listening to the live music and I wish I could spend hours.

My sister was too scared of stepping onto a rat and it took a while before she could barely walk like a normal human. We performed parikramas and offered the Puja thali we bought. The temple was very clean and it was a relieving sight unfortunately though when I visited an ATM inside the temple campus it was painted with typical "gutkha" color. There were too many curious foreign tourists in the temple as well and unfortunately some were not dressed enough for the occasion. I respect the individuality and the freedom of choice but personally I believe one should also respect the culture and tradition of the place they are visiting.
Right after the Darshan we rushed to fill our appetite and treated ourselves with delicious oil dipped hot puri-bhaji in a local shop.
Soon we were back on the road and reached Pushkar at around 3 in the afternoon. My back was dead tired by now as we were carrying the bags which were much heavier now than when we started. Throughout our journey we did small, little shopping here and there without realising how stupid it was and stuffed our bags to the brim. After a lunch in a fancy restaurant it was time to explore the place but I had no intention to do that with a shit-load of cargo on my back. To our relief the restaurant manager agreed to store our luggage until evening.

At Pushkar sarovar

We were in the famous Brahma temple, one of the very few temples in India dedicated to God Brahma. I was there for the second time and standing in front of the temple I recalled my short span in Indian Motorcycles few years back when I visited Pushkar for a promotional ride. The place was familiar.

Brahma Temple

We sat at the Pushkar sarovar for hours, clicking pictures and admiring the serenity of the place. I took few moments for myself to take the nature around me in and thanked god for all the good things in life that we often don't admire enough. While we sat on the bank, an old couple, in their 60s, approached us and we initiated a small chat. Wow, they were travelling all the way from Mumbai on a car and I was amazed, equally inspired. We shared our story as well and they were not just surprised but also encouraged us. Interestingly, more than the place and road I travel on, the memories of such strangers and wonderful people I have met has often inspired me more.
After collecting our bags, we were headed to Ajmer. My husband had already booked a hotel just one street behind the Ajmer dargah lane. The streets and narrow lanes are too chaotic and it's next to impossible to manoeuvre a motorbike. Most of the local suggested us to park our bike on the main street and walk all the way to the hotel but to contrary I decided to take a chance. We barely crawled through the lanes and finally after parking the bike in an inner lane we preferred to search the hotel on foot. I was wondering how do people get enough oxygen or in fact sunlight since I was already suffocating. The hotel was actually further into the lanes and we ended up our search and eventually walked into an another hotel on the main street. Though the streets were too congested and disorganised, people were extremely generous, helpful and welcoming. Not even for a moment I was intimidated or felt unsafe among the strangers.

Dargah Street

Once I stepped into the Dargah, I could feel the divinity even though it was crowded with too many people. The same kind of feeling that I have when I visit a temple or a church or a gurudwara. A sudden realisation that no matter what religion you come from when you bow in front of the almighty, that moment just melts down all religious boundaries. As a matter of fact, I feel lucky and humbled at the same time since my religion gives me freedom and allows me to accept and learn any other religious belief irrespective of where it's preached or who preaches it.
By 10 in the night we were back to our hotel but my mind was still wandering in those narrow lanes and I was looking forward to what's ahead.