Mandawa, Nawalgar, and the Karani Mata Rat Temple

Our next stop was to be Mandawa and then Navalgar, both cities famous for their painted havelis (breeze houses).  But first there was a stop not too far from Bikaner -- the Karani Mata Rat Temple.  I asked whey it was called the "rat temple" and was just told "you'll see".

I took a shot of this sign outside the Rat Temple to demonstrate the Indian attitude toward its beggar problem.  Tourists first coming to India are immediately identified and mobbed by beggars, usually small children.  The fact is that "beggarship" is usually a family business and, since children can potentially bring in the most money they end up on the streets and don't get the chance to go to school.  So the family business goes from one generation to the next.  In general, the only places where one now sees beggars in India are around the tourist meccas like the famous palaces, forts, temples, and the five-star hotels.  Tourists are encouraged NOT to perpetuate the begging industry and should avoid giving out money in most cases.  There are many, many social organizations now in India that take care of the indigent and needy.

Front view of the Rat Temple

Before I looked down or around me, my eyes went straight to the boy up above, deftly walking on the pigeon netting.

And now you know why it's called the Rat Temple. 

 According to a local legend, Karni Mata, the 14th century mystic and an incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga, implored Yama, the god of death, to restore the life of the son of one of her storytellers. Yama refused, and Karni Mata incarnated the dead son and all of the storytellers as a rat, under her protection.

The small rats are everywhere but seem to be content with totally ignoring all of the visitors, which was a relief to my bare feet.

We left the Rat Temple and continued on toward Mandawa, stopping for lunch at a really lovely place along the way.

Fountain at the restaurant where we had lunch.

When we got into Mandawa, one of the first things we both noticed was this sign, which I'm including solely for the benefit of granddaughter Monica. . . .

We found our local guide and began the walking tour of Mandawa.  Mandawa and Nawalgar are both famous for their beautifully painted havelis.  More and more of the facades are being restored, but I found the original art work to be equally beautiful and fascinating.  In general, if the paint on an exterior wall is quite bright and clean looking, it means that it has been restored.  Unrestored paintings are severely faded by the sun.  Here are a few views. . . .

The two paintings above are on the facade of the Monica Restaurant and have been nicely restored

The four images above are examples of paintings that have not been restored.

More paintings, in various stages of restoration.

Some of the havelis had handicrafts and fabrics for sale.

A doorway in Nawalgar.

That night, we stayed at the Roopniwas Kothi, a restored mansion on the outskirts of Nawalgar.  And then, the next day we headed for Jaipur.