Rat is a religious
animal that appears in at least two religious settings.
On the one hand, the rat is known as the elephant-headed
deity Ganesh's animal conveyance, reinforcing Ganesh's identity as the Lord of
Obstacles.
If Ganesh's elephant head reflects his ability to easily
push barriers away, his rat chariot demonstrates a stealthier approach.
Rats are known for their ability to maneuver around
barriers, sliding through even the tiniest openings in granaries to reach the
grain inside.
They are a good complement to Ganesh's might because of
their ability to sneak around and between obstructive things.
Rats are also significant to the goddess Karni Mata's shrine
in the hamlet of Deshnok in Rajasthan's state.
Thousands of rats live in the Karni Mata shrine, believing
themselves to be Karni Mata's offspring and hence holy animals.
According to legend, when the rats die, they are resurrected
as members of the temple's hereditary servants' families, making the rats and
temple priests members of the same extended family.
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