Would You Ever Worship A Rat ? In India People Have Temple for Them....

Hello Dear allknowing! Yes you are right! rats are worshipped by Hindus and there are Hindus in the business of manufacturing and promoting the products to kill the rats! There are few sects in India who consume rats also! Well friend Snakes are worshipped and there is a special day or festival as a mark of respect to this creature! But they are also not spared if found in urbanised place! This is really a strange situation and no body can explain it! This is nothing but converting the situation according to the convenience! (I may be called as an Atheist for this comment by many hardcore religious people!) Thanks for your thought provoking response! It has really made me to think for a while before responding back!

Hello Dear allknowing! I know most beliefs are superstitions and they have no logical explanations! Yes , like you said if some one is getting solace by practicing them then why should we disturb them, so long they are not compelling us to follow it or imparting/ imposing the idea on our heads! I agree with your views! Thanks !

Religion and beliefs better be left alone as most of these beliefs have no logic. If an individual gets some solace by holding on to them it is best that their hornet's nest is not disturbed but no one should impose their belief on others.

Hello Dear Oligel! Rats are pests anywhere in the World! In India also they are pests of prime threat to farmers! Apart from destroying the crops, destroying many house hold items and industrial items like electric wirings, destruction of some delicate electronic equipment, spoiling of cushioned furniture etc., these rats pose a serious threat to human life as they are capable of passing on many diseases including the one you have mentioned above to Human beings! Yes, except for respecting this belief, nothing any thing, really can be done about it ! As together with superstitions the people with vested interests attached to such easy money making projects won't let any thing happen to such beliefs! This is because of these people only this superstition is still alive through generations to make this temple the unique one throughout the World! Thanks for responding!

Hello Dear mantis! The rats are no doubt are pests and in almost every part of the country they treat them as pests and they are destroyed either by using rat traps or rat poisons! These are not only causing damage to property but are dangerous to human life also! In India also there are few sects who have rats as their food! Thanks for rsponding!

what you say is the same also here in our country the Philippines. Rats found inside the City Houses are disease carriers and oftentimes scared to people.... but rats found in the provinces are mostly eaten by the farmers cause they believe that it is clean because its like a herbivorous type.... that is according to them.

Hello Dear dawnald! I am afraid, I may differ here with your views! Rats can be very dangerous as they can spread about 70 types of disease producing organisms to human beings, which I think the mosquitoes can't do! Thanks for responding!

If that is the case, i don't have any problem in taking my words back! Let the mosquitoes win the race! Thanks for researching and responding back dear dawnald!

I agree with you dear Jaiho! I think it is basically the illiteracy and the exploitation of the weaker section of the people by the stronger section is responsible for creation of such blind beliefs and then keeping them alive for so many years! The vested interests of various people help this superstitions to survive! Thanks !

Hello Dear Jaijo! It was really a fantastic video! Though I have seen this video on TV, I never had opportunity to store the video footage! This video covers almost every thing highlighting the rats and the devotees visiting the temple and worshipping the rats! It is really horrible thing to see how people are consuming the food contaminated with these rodents! Thanks for sharing the video!

India is really a unique country of cultures,traditions and beliefs. We are only aware of the "holy cow" ,now we've find out about rats... I just wonder how they can stand the smell,and shares food with rats? ?

Hi Dear Sids! I agree that people go there as devotees and they have their own faith! But at the same time it is common sense that the food material contaminated with rat's excreta is highly dangerous to Human health! Worshipping symbolically it is OK and to pay the respect people may leave the rats in wild when they happen to catch them at their places! Cobra is the animal seen around the neck of Lord Shiva and Cobra is worshipped as God on the day of Nag Panchmi! But when Cobra is located in residential area people they kill it as common sense says that it is a poisonous reptile and it can kill people just by a single bite! Though we are worship Cobra being 'Hindus' can we think of having a temple with Cobras on similar lines what we are having at Bikaner for rats? Will people go there to have blessings of poisonous Cobra? That is my point! Superstitions and beliefs shouldn't surpass the facts if they are known to cause some danger for Human life...What you say? Thanks for responding!

Ok, but as you say there has been no outbreak of any disease or plague in that place for the last 700 years... what do you call that? Medics and science all are great but there are times when they have no answers to such things.

Hello Dear azuncionne! It was a shocking for me too! I never knew about it though I am just 500 kilometers away from it! Yes, this is a old tradition being followed there for last so many centuries, it is hard o change it though we know that it is having dangers of ill effect on the people's health who are visiting the temple as devotees! Unfortunately in India because of illiteracy and firm belief in local priests some superstitions are hard to get rid of ! This is one of it! Every one knows about this temple and possible dangers associated with it, but no body wants to come forward and discontinue this practice as it is having religious tinge to it! Thanks for responding!

Hello Isdshrooms! I can understand your views, as I too had these white rats as my pets for few months. Here these cats are bred in Laboratories or in breeding units and every care is being taken to keep them disease free before they are sold as pets. similarly Cats though they are wild are being inoculated with vaccine against the diseases which are dangerous to them and to human beings! So I think this basic difference makes the things different under the given scenario! Thanks for the participation and I sincerely appreciate it! Thanks !

All rats aren't "dirty", and it's sad that people still think that. Sure, wild animals are disease ridden and desperate for food, but rats are still domesticable animals who make good pets.

Hi Dear Pradoz! Though I stay just some 500 kilometers away from this temple I too was unaware about this temple until it was shown on Discovery channel! Having seen about this temple on this channel I have started research about this temple on the net and having read about this temple I found it as a dangerous superstition people are following which can be very dangerous at any point of time! I can understand your logic for no worshipping a rat as this is a creature in a lower realm! I respect your feelings and feel no fear to support it! Thanks !

Hi Dear ebuscat! Wow! I appreciate your logic and dedication towards your God and at same time I also appreciate the possessiveness of your God towards his devotees too! Will he really get annoyed if you ever think of worshipping a rat? LOL! Thanks for responding!

Hi Dear Cutie! Yes what you have read could be possibly true as there are many people who believe in such theories! It was also news to me when I have first seen about this temple on Discovery channel! I just stay about 500 Kilometers from this place and I never heard about this temple before! Yes, rats are pests and they pose severe threat to mankind as they can carry about 70 types of micro organisms which they can spread to Human beings to put their lives at stake! In India also rats are being destroyed on regular basis! There are no other temple seen in India except for this one, which makes it unique one! Thanks !

Hello Dear Bhabycatch! Yes you are right India is having many traditions and cultures which are unique and that makes our country quite an interesting one and it is incredible in many aspects! I too agree that this superstition is an old one and since for last 700 years people have been worshipping the rats, it is very difficult to stop it now in the name of science! Though I respect the Faith of the people and the belief, I am really pained to see how these poor and innocent people are getting prey to this dangerous superstition as this thing can be life threatening and can kill any one at any time as rats are vectors carrying many infectious diseases which are fatal in nature! I appreciate your interest which you have shown about this temple by expressing your wish to visit this temple! I think that would be an interesting experience for you! For me , though I am a Hindu by religion,I never visit any temples and this temple is no exception in any way! Thanks !

Hello Dear mickster! Every body does have some beliefs! Like you said you are a Catholic and God may not be happy if you start worshipping the rats! Similarly in Hindus they feel rats as the Vahana or Vehicle of Lord Ganesha, who is considered to be a God amongst 33 crores who is privileged to get worshipped first in any occasion! So no body wants to disregard a rat in this religion! I think though we may not believe in the worshipping, I think we should respect their belief! Here my main concern is about the health hazards Which people can face by coming in contact with live rats! Thanks for responding!

Hello Dear Isdshrooms! Yes, we should respect all the animals as they are part and parcel of the ecosystem and they help in balancing the nature! all the animals have the right o live and we should respect that and Rats Are also no exception for that!That is the reason I don't kill the rats I trap at my place.I take them away from my farm into wild to leave them there to have a natural abode for themselves! Yes, dear friend, I can understand about your love towards the pet rats! They are too cute, cuddly and friendly creatures! I too had few white rats as my pets for few months whom I brought from our College Laboratory while I was doing research for my Post graduation! They are lovely creatures! Thanks for responding!

Hello Dear Mantis! Welcome to Mylot! This is really a new information for me that people are really worried about the rats as they can curse or cast a bad magic spell on the people troubling them! So people they treat the rats with a great respect there! Thanks for sharing an interesting fact about the belief you people have at your place about the rats! Thanks!

Hello dear Kareemadivina ! There are many people in India who even don't know about this temple. In Hindu religion there are many animals which are worshipped as the Vehicles of the Gods! Yes,Cow is considered as a sacred animal and it is worshipped by Hindus as they believe that all the 33 crore Hindu Gods hey reside in her! But however worshipping live rats like this in temples is something quite a rare thing in India too! I too do agree that rats are no ore intelligent than Human beings and so there is no valid point why they should be worshipped.but then because of some believe in India people are worshipping these rats! Thanks for responding!

Hello Dear Chiyosan! Yes, I agree with you! Though I am a Hindu, but I may not like to worship the rats the way they are being worshipped in the temple! In fact I never kill a rat when I trap one at my place! This again not because of any religious belief but just I feel that they too do have right to live and I leave them in the wild! I admire that you have respect for other religions, The ultimate truth is, what ever may be the religion we all the guided to get the Almighty who is One! Different religions are like different paths leading to the God whom different people call with different names! Thanks for responding!

Hello Dear Rajib! Yes you are absolutely right! One side we claim that we have become very modern and our thoughts have become too modern, we have started accepting the modern thoughts like living relationships, homosexual relationships etc., and at the same time we are seeing the people who under the superstitions are undertaking various absurd things which may be dangerous for health in the name of religion! Yes while Rat Temple is one example , the Ganges is another one! It would take many centuries of us to come out from this type of blind beliefs as normally such practices are alive today mostly because of illiterate people who form a greater population in the rural area and they would never listen to any one! With the changing times the illiterate class should made literate, then educated to understand the things that are going in the society! yes...It may take time but things will change as we have successful could eliminate the 'Sati' system, though son=me stray cases are even heard sometimes in remote villages in India! Thanks for responding!

Hi Dear Orang! Yes, I too really got stunned and actually I couldn't believe about this temple! But having read about it on net and having seen about it on TV I could convince myself that such temple is really existing and is situated about some 500 kilometers away from the place where I live! Yes, some people in India, mostly the illiterate lot, do have several blind beliefs and their minds can't be changed as they are trained like that by their parents and by the society they are living in! They are highly superstitious and they won't listen to anybody! Regarding this temple , government knows every thing but don't want to get itself into the trouble by taking any step against the prevailing condition as this is a religious matter and the feelings of lakhs of people are attached to it! Though I am a Hindu by religion, I really can't appreciate such practices as these things can be life threatening ! One of the members has given the Video link to this temple which you can have a look at for further details! Please refer response number 7 for this! Thanks for the response!

Hello Dear Sender! I can understand your views! Mostly in India also the rat is symbolically worshiped as the Vehicle of Lord Ganesha by worshipping the statue of the rat along with the statue of Lord Ganesha! Many people in India also don't have any idea about this temple! This temple was built by some king for a lady who was saint ! People narrate some story behind this! But then the temple was restricted to the faith of the King, which later on has got spread amongst the locals ! Now with the advancement of electronic media this has got much publicity in the media! Thanks for responding!