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Almost 20,000 rats roam the premises of Karni Mata temple in Rajasthan. Locals in the area worship the roaming rodents believing them to be Hindu Goddess Karni Mata's incarnation.

The furry creatures live a life of luxury at the temple site, feeding on home cooked delicacies offered by the locals.

The rodents roam around the Karni Mata temple freely as they are treated like the godess incarnate. So instead of hiding in the sewers they can be seen all over the site.

Treated like royalty and protected, the rats run around the temple premises, which is their home. Visitors to the temple touch them with reverence and also pray to the rodents. The devotees feed them with home cooked meals.

The devotees believe that the creepy creatures are the incarnation of Goddess Karni Mata. This place swarming with over 20,000 rats is not for the weak-hearted tourists.

(Picture Source: static.ddmcdn.com)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)