India 2012

After the meal, P.K. takes us towards the rat temple not far from Bikaner. But first, we will stop at the royal cenotaphs and the camel farm.

Oh yes, the steering wheel is on the right, a legacy of the former British colony!

Before entering the cenotaph, you must remove your shoes. Here, slippers are even available, which highlight Christophe's magnificent orange ankle socks  

These cenotaphs or chhatri are dedicated to the different princes of the Bikaji dynasty.

"Chhatris are pavilion-shaped or square kiosk-shaped structures in Indian architecture. They are symbols of pride, honor, and commemoration in Rajput architecture in Rajasthan"
© Wikipedia

These two children are looking for rupees, and one way to get them is to offer to be your guide. Whether you listen to them or not, by the way...  

For the children's cenotaphs, feet are represented

A secret door! And behind it, a Bollywood film shoot is taking place!

A little further on, we reach the camel farm. It's a research center for camelids.

Dromedary foot and knee

Nearly 300 animals are present here

Birds accompany the dromedaries. These are Indian crows or house crows (Corvus splendens).

The infirmary area.

The crows are taking care of their toilet...

A palm squirrel (funambulus pennantii), we'll encounter them everywhere during our various visits to Rajasthan. They are charming and never far from a nut to nibble on, much to the delight of photographers!  

Here we are finally facing Shri Karni Mata, the temple of sacred rats. We don't really know what to expect, except that we might come across rats... if we look closely or if it's the right mealtime...  

Once our shoes are removed and we've passed through the door, we can start looking for the little rats' hiding places...

And then, surprise, we won't have to look for them... They are everywhere!!!  

From the courtyard, we can access a room where the altar itself is located, where offerings (flowers, food...) can be made.

In this room, the rats are given a large bowl of milk.

The heart of the sanctuary (Garbha griha) where offerings to the deities take place

This temple is dedicated to Karni Mata, a Hindu woman born in 1387 and who died 151 years later (???). Considered an incarnation of the Goddess Durga, several temples were dedicated to her in the region. This one was built after her disappearance.

So why sacred rats in this temple? Legend has it that Karni Mata asked the God Yama to reincarnate the dead son of one of her poet friends. He did so, not only for the poet's son, but also for all the children of the other storytellers. As you can guess, they were all reincarnated as rats, hence the devotion of the faithful towards them. (© Wikipedia)

Marigolds as an offering

We leave the temple after carefully depositing our socks, contaminated by all the little droppings of the small mice, in the bin...  

And off we go for a little rickshaw ride in Bikaner. And yes, there are three of us behind the driver!

These small green and yellow (or black and yellow) taxis are the most common in India. They take you on their three wheels to the sputtering sound of the 2-stroke engine.  

A small glimpse of our ride with an onboard camera

Havelis with meticulously carved red sandstone facades

We are urged to visit the interior of this luxury hotel. Indeed, it's not everyone's decor...  

Return at nightfall. Tomorrow, we'll leave the rickshaw for a camel to confront the sand of the Thar Desert!