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KARNI MATA FAIR, DESHNOK |
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Karni
Mata Fair is held twice a year at Deshnok, a small
town near Nokha in Bikaner district. The first and
larger fair is held in March-April during the
Navratras from Chaitra Shukla Ekam to Chaitra Shukla
Dashmi. The second fair is held in September-October,
also during the Navratras, from Ashvin Shukla to
Ashwin Shukla Dashmi.
Karni Mata was an ascetic who led a righteous life
dedicated to the service and uplifting of the poor and
downtrodden of all communities. It is believed that
she possessed supernatural powers. The foundation of
Deshnok was laid by her and she has been worshipped as
a goddess by her principal followers, Charans, as well
as the rulers of Bikaner, who regarded her as the
patron deity. The Karni Mata Fair is held in her
honour. |
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The
Karni Mata temple at Deshnok is a stone and marble
structure and is also known as Madh. Inside the
shrine, a 75 cms. image of Kami Mata adorned with
a mukut (tiara) and garlands is installed. Her
image is accompanied by the images of her sisters
and the sisters of Avad Mata. The Rajputs bring
their children on Jadula (their first hair cut)
and place them at the deity's feet for blessing.
The temple is thrown open to the public early in
the morning at 4.00 a.m. Charan priests perform
Mangla-Ki-Aarti and offer bhog (special food) as
worship. A peculiar characteristic of the temple
is the legion of brown cats roaming about in large
numbers in the temple. They are considered
auspicious and the devotees make offerings. Two
kinds of offerings, the 'dwar-bhent' is attributed
to the priests and the workers. The 'kalash-bhent'
is utilised for the temple maintenance and
development. |
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