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Thirty K.M. from
Bikaner city there is the magnificent temple of the Deity Karni ji,
During her life she was a wonderful woman, possessed miraculous &
spiritual power and on her verbal commands numerous rulers of this
desert country were made and destroyed. Her marble temple is
interesting, but more interesting is the account of her life. |
Though she has not
estate, yet, even then, she was greeted by numerous rulers of the
than Desert. She lived on the earth for one hundred and
fifty one years, six mouths and two days, and this long life she
spent like a nun.
A brief account of her is as follows, she was born in a village
named suwap (Near Pugal, Raj.) in the year 1387. A.D., Her father
was Meha ji Kiniya, rich farmer, and her mother, a daughter of a
land of Mandore near jodhpur. |
The Deity krani ji was the seventh doughter of
her parents; one of the aunts of the young Deity after the birth of
deity pointed a finger in a scornful manner, the next moment the
finger was stricken by paralysis. That is the first and foremost
example of the Deity’s supernatural power with which she was born.
Another day her playmate came running from the farm and informed her
that her father was bitten by a cobra; the young Deity flew to the
farm and noticed that her venerable father was struggling for life.
She touched the spot bitten by the snake, and the effect of the poison
vanished.
Stories of her miracles spread far and wide. The crowd of
suffering people arrived at the village of the deity. They
came unhappy but returned consoled and cured, Not only laymen but
dignitaries of the ear visited near village. The following is
the account of some of the lords and generals who visited her village.
One day the deity Karni Ji was carrying lunch
for her father who was on the farm. A fellow girl also accompanied
her, suddenly they noticed that a huge Caravan was coming towards
them, the companion of the deity asked, “Is that a Band of dacoits,” ?
She replied “Don’t worry I will se to them.”
Then horses come closer to them and a man who
looked like commandant, inquired, “Do you know where the deity lives
in Suwap Village.
But when he found that girl with whom he was
talking was herself the deity, the ruffled lord dismounted his horse
and bowed and said “ I am lord Shekha of pugal, going to face an enemy
in the war filed so I need your blessings.
“OK, you will have them”. Replied the Deity,
“but first come to the village, you are invited to be the guest of our
village, Have dinner tonight with us”
Shekha the lord replied, “My enemy is coming
very fast, if I stop, he will reach my border.
Ok, replied the Deity you having only one basket full of food which
sufficient only your farmer.
The lord said, I will divide this food and
offer to all of you whatever is your share”, then the army sat down
and the deity served lunch to all of the, she went to every solider
and poured all that she has in the basket and when she went to the
next solider her basket was full of food. Than she blessed Shekha
(Lord) & the caravan moved forward. The incident took place in 1402
A.D.
Later Lord Choonda of Mandore came to pay her
homage in 1408 A.D. and by her consent he captured a region which is
now called ‘Nagaur city’, at the time it was in the possession of the
Lord of Multan. After conquering Nagaur, Choonda captured some other
village and gave them to his sons who also came with him from mandore.
He gave Choondasar village one of his sons,
Ridmal. Unfortunately Lord Choonda did not live long after
conquering
Nagaour city as he met a fatal brunt to sward in the war field of
Jegla (Near Deshnok, Bikaner) When the joint army of the lord of
Multhan and pugal attacked his domain.
The Marriage
of the Deity
At the advanced age of 29 years she married
Deepa Ji of village & during her first meeting with her husband she
informed him that she was a supernatural power and that for he might
not use her for production of progeny and directed her husband that
for progeny he should marry her younger sister, Miss, Gulab, Thus next
year the second marriage of Deepa ji was solemnized with Miss Gulab in
1417 A.D.
Her
departure from Sathika Village
Her father, Meha Ji gave 400 cows and 200
camels as dowry to both tone brides and the arrival of new live stock
created water problem in the village so she proceeded with all her
family and live tocks in search of a better place in 1418 A.D. First
she went to Junglu, the then capital of the desert country. The Lord
of Junglu Kanha did not behave courteously with her but his younger
brother (Lord Ridmal) who was Lord of Choondaser) helped the deity by
getting water through his servants for the live-stock of the deity.
These she prophesied, “Ridmal will be next lord of the domain”, but
the lord of Janglu (Kanha) got very angry when he heard this.
Deity found a suitable place for her animals,
but it was under the territorial possession of the lord of Junglu (Kanha)
and he did not like the deity (probably because of her prophesy) so he
sent two of his army officers and ordered them to uproot the camp of
the deity be force, both the officers went to the camp of the deity
and being to abuse her. Then both were made jackals by supernatural
power, but both of them pleaded to the deity. Then she said, “Your
face will be restored when you speak with your lord.
Next day lord Kanha himself went to destroy the
camps of the Deity with a force of 50 horse men, but he was killed by
the Deity though before killing him she warned him, but he was so
adamant in using force against her that she has to kill him, Then the
lord of Choondaser (Younger brother of the former lord) succeeded,
thus the prophesy of the deity same true, this incident took place in
1418 A.D. The very same year she shifted her place one K.M. from the
old camp where her present temple is built, in the beginning the place
was her cave where she would live as a nun and meditate.
Significance of the rats in the temple
The younger sister of the Deity Gulab gave
birth to four, sons; the youngest of them was very fond of fairs and
festivities. Once when he went to the fair of Kolayat town, he was
drowned while bathing in the lake of Kolayat. His dead body was
brought to Deshnok and every body requested the Deity to revive him.
She said, “OK, place the dead body in my cave and close the door of
the cave”. Then the gate remained close for three days, those three
days were of suspense, people wondered whether he would he revived or
not? The fourth day the gate of the cave was opened by the young boy
and every body was over joyed to see the sight of the resuscitation of
the boy. Later replaying to question,” How did it happen”? She
answered, I had to go to the god who possesses souls, and I told him
to return the soul of the boy, first he refused, then I coerced the
god of souls by my supernatural power and because of it he had to
return soul while returning the soul he put a condition that in
further, the souls of Charan (The community to which Deity belonged by
birth) will never by received by the god of souls, Further the deity
Said,” now those Charans who die in future, will be transmigrated in
to the bodies of rats and those rats will remain with in the premises
of may cave, when rates die, they will again be “Charans”, and this
process will continue till there is life on the earth.
Now to continue the so of the life of the
Deity, focus is to shift to Lord Ridmal, he was the same lord who
succeeded to the one killed by the Deity. For some years after
succession he remained at Janglu, but his concentration was always on
his patrimony (Mandore) which be conquered with the help of the army of
the lord of Chittorgarh. For some years he remained among very
trustworthy knight of Chittorgarh. But later he was murdered by his
opponents when he was also with him but after the murder of his
father, Jodha flew from Chittorgarh as the enemy of his father wanted
to kill him also. First he came his patrimony Mandore, but his enemy
kept chasing him so he could not stay there.
He just jewels and gold from his patrimony and
came to the shelter of the deity She gave him the fort of Junglu and
he repaired there for some years, His enemy did not dare enter the
desert country because of two reasons, one he was living under the
protection of the deity and another as most of this land at that time
was waterless desert.
Jodha stayed some years in Janglu and
strengthened his condition and later having the consent of the Deity,
he attacked his enemies and conquered his patrimony (Mandore) Then he
emerged as a very strong ruler.
In 1458 A.D. he invited the Deity of lay the
foundation stone of the world famous fort of Jodhpur which is known as
‘meherangarh fort’.
Later 1465 A.D. Lord Bika, son of Lord Jodha,
came to pay ‘homage to the deity in Deshnok. The Deity blessed him in
these words, “You will be ruler of
Desert country and after you, your progeny will rule area for some
centuries”. After that she sent Lord Bika to village which was called
Choondasar (it was the patrimony of lord Bika as his great grand
father Lord Choonda once conquered this village.)
In 1480 A.D.
she instructed lord Bika to erect to erect the statue of Bhairun (A
god) in a village Kodamdesar and Said “this will be opening of your
Lord ship in this area.
As per the
command of the Deity, Lord Bika set up a statue of Bhairun and near
the temple he also started constructing a fort, But his opponents did
not like his constructing a fort, so they attacked him and he fought
and won the battle near Kodamdesar, Then the Deity suggested another
place for his fort. It was called the red pass and he constructed a
fort there in 1504 A.D.
Lord Bika rule
was succeeded by him 35 year old son ‘Lunkaran’ and after the
coronation Lord Lunkaran came to pay homage to the Deity and his four
brothers also came along with him.
End of Deity
Altogether the divine lady lived on the earth
for one hundred and fifty one years. Six months and two day. In the
following words her departure from this mortal world is being
explained.
Lord of Jaisalmer ‘Jetsi’, her devotee wanted
to pay her homage, but suffering from a carbuncle he was unable to
travel so his son came to the Deity and requested her to go to
Jaisalmer. So she went to Jaisalmer, the carbuncle of the lord was
cured by her mere touch. She stayed in Jaisalmer for a fortnight, and
during her stay, she called a carpenter who was blind and she said to
the carpenter. “Since you are blind, You are not touched by
worldly passion and greed so you are of the right person who may
crave my idole. I know that you have never seen me because, so now I
am restoring your sight so never you may see me”.
Then she left Jaisalmer for Kharoda (Sindh),
where two of sisters lived, and after meeting her sister she finally
returned on her ox cart to a place which is called the pond of Dhineru,
It was the disputed border the between Bikaner and Jaisalmer states.
Reaching there she said to her adopted son ‘Paneraj’, “Bring some
water from the pond as I want to bathe,” so he want to get water,
while he was out, she asked the coach man to pour some water from her
silver picture. As soon as water from the picture touched her head, a
fume rose and the Deity ha departed from the mortal world. Hearing it
he began to cry. Then came the heavenly voice of the Deity, “Don’t you
cry over my departure from this mortal world, go back to Deshnoke and
information the people of Deshnok and others that I have left this
world”.
“On the forth day from now, Banna the
carpenter of Jaisalmer will come with my idol, Set up the idol in my
cave and there after, I will live in the idol. My devotees may see me
there, and I will listen to those devotees who come with sincere
prayers”.
Then both men went to Deshonk and her idol was
set up in her cave and her cave is now that temple of Deshnok. Lots of
rats also seen there within the premises of here temple.
Village Deshnok itself is a nice one. You are
recommended to see the historical temple of a woman who in her life
influenced three states and this whole territory of the desert
country.
You are suggested to see temple of Nehri ji,
(It was the place where she first camped before shirting to the
present temple place) Nehri Ji temple is just one kilometer from her
marble temple.
How to get
to Deshnok
You can join conducted sight seeing tour organised by the Desert Tours, or it you prefer to go only by
yourself, then take a bus from the bus station which is near Lalgarh
place, every 10 minutes there is at least one bus from the bus station. You
can go Deshnok by Train also, if you prefer, train time
.
Note: - Deshonk temple open for whole day.
If you little bit more fun while going to
Deshnok then take camel & go to Deshonk. For details contact:
Desert
Tours,
Behind the Head Post Office, Bikaner (Raj.) India
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