Deshnok

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Location of Nokha in Bikaner District

Deshnok (देशनोक) is a town in the Bikaner tahsil and district of Rajasthan. PIN of Deshnoke - 334801

Location

It is near the Pakistan border and about 30 km from Bikaner. Deshnoke is located at 27°47′26″N 73°20′27″E. It is a small Railway station on Bikaner- Jodhpur line.

Karni Mata Temple

Deshnok is famous for its 600-year-old Karni Mata Temple, where rats are worshiped. The goddess Karni Mata has been specially worshiped by the royal family of Bikaner and Jodhpur. She is kuldevi of Bikaner Rathod rulers. Some Rathods worship kuldevi Naganaichia (नागणैचिया). Ganga Singh of Bikaner had built a temple of Karni Mata. She lived initially at place called Nehriji and latter shifted to the present site. In addition she is also kuldevi of Sotro Pareek people.

Who was Karni Mata

Karni Mata was born in family of Meha Charan in Suwap (सुआप) (tah:Phalaudi) village in Jodhpur.[1]. She is believed to have taken birth in 1387. Her childhood name was Righubai but later became popular as Karnimata among the villagers at the age of 6.

According to tradition, Karni mata was originally the wife of Dipoji Charan of the village of Sathika. However, she later expressed to her husband her unwillingness to engage in matrimonial relations. He initially humoured her, thinking that she would relent in time. Instead of doing so Karni arranged for him to marry her own younger sister Gulab so that he might have a proper married life. She herself remained celibate all her life, with the concurrence and support of her husband.

Local tradition tells that Karni Mata's step son died while he fell in a well. On request of Karni Mata Yamaraja gave life to the dead son but in the form of rat. It is believed that descendants of Karni Mata get rebirth in the form of rats and find place in the temple.

Karni lived in her in-laws' village for about two years before leaving with her followers and a herd of cattle to live a nomadic life, camping at sunset. One such camp was made at the village of Jangloo; but a servant of Rao Kanha (Kanha Punia ?), who was ruler of the place, denied them access to water for the people and cows. Karni Mata declared her follower Rao Ridmal (Ridmal Jakhar of Riri- Bigga ?) of Chandasar as new ruler of the village and continued on her journey. When she reached near Deshnok, Rao Kanha himself came to oppose her camping but he died. Karni Mata stopped further wandering and settled there. Her husband Depoji died in 1454.

In 1453, she gave her blessing to Rao Jodha of Jodhpur for conquering Ajmer, Merta and Mandor.

In 1457 she went to Jodhpur at Rao Jodha's request, to lay the cornerstone of the fort at Jodhpur.

Her first temple was constructed in the village of Mathania during her lifetime by her follower Amara Charan.

In 1472, she arranged the marriage of Rao Bika (the fifth son of Rao Jodha) and Rang Kunwar (daughter of Rao Shekha Bhati of Poogal) to turn the enmity of the Rathor and Bhati families into friendship.

In 1485, she laid the foundation stone of the fort of Bikaner at the request of Rao Bika.

In 1538, Karni went to visit the Maharaja of Jaisalmer. On 21 March of that year she was travelling back to Deshnok with her stepson Poonjar and a few other followers. They were near Gadiyala and Girajsar of the Kolayat tehsil in Bikaner district where she asked the caravan to stop for water. She disappeared there. It was Chaitra Shukla Navami Thursday samvat 1595 when she is said to have disappeared.

Jat History

Karni Mata's blessings to Rathod rulers accelerated the down fall of Jat rulers in Jangladesh, who were the rulers of this region. James Tod[2] has clearly mentioned that the land occupied by the goddess Karni Mata for initial habitation and temple and also the land occupied for the construction of fort and capital by Bika Rathod belonged to Nehra Jats.

According to James Tod as mentioned in his book "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829)" the Jangal Desh region was inhabited by Jats, who had for ages been established in these arid abodes, prior to Bika Rathor annexed these small republics. At every stage of invasion to India the foreign invaders had to encounter with the Jats of this region. At what period the Jats established themselves in the Indian desert is not known. By the 4th century they had spread up to Punjab in India.

According to the well known historian Dashrath Sharma The north-eastern and north-western Rajasthan, known by the name Jangladesh in ancient times, was inhabited by Jat clans ruled by their own chiefs and largely governed by their own customary law. [3]

According to James Todd Whole of the region was possessed by six or seven cantons namely Punia, Godara, Saran, Sihag, Beniwal, Johiya[4] and Kaswan[5]. Besides these cantons there were several sub-castes of Jats, simultaneously wrested from Rajput proprietors for instance Bagor, Kharipatta, Mohila or Mehila,[6] Bhukar, Bhadu, Chahar. [7]

According to History of Bikaner State and by the scholars, the region was occupied by Jats with their seven territories. It is said about Jat territories that Saat Patti Sattavan Majh (means seven long and fifty-seven small territories).[8]

Prof. Dilbagh Singh, a known Rajasthani historian writes [9]

“Even Puratanaprabhandasamgraha and Nainsi’s Khyat attest to the formation of nodal kingdom at the expense of medas and meenas. Their movement was from Ahichhatrapura to Sakambari or Jangaldesh, which one could assume from the name and topography of Jangaldesh led to the colonization of generally unchartered area. [10]
….Nainsi offers some valuable information in respect of the Jats whose migration along with the ahirs and malis in Marwar was induced by successive Rathor rulers during the 14th and 15th centuries. [11] The other Jat clan were Godara who helped Bika in establishing Rathore principalities in Bikaner.
….As for the Jats prior to coming of Rathors in Rajasthan Nainsi refers to Jat settlements at Bhadang which is identified as the Saran Jatan Ra Des or des belonging to the Saran sept of Jats. [12]
….He (Nainsi) mentions two types of des. The first type is perceived as inhabited space identified with a region, sub-region a settlement of a particular caste, clan or tribe who may or may not have exercised political dominance. [13] In contradistinction to first type of des, the term ‘khali des’ is also widely used by Nainsi. It pointed out to unoccupied and uncolonized space. There are references to the occupation and colonization of Phalodi, a Khali des by Nara, the son of Rao Suja of Jodhpur.”

For the general readers it would be important to know about Nainsi. He was the Diwan of Jodhpur Raja Ajit Singh (1645-1666 AD.). He has recorded History of desert region of Rajasthan in the form of various volumes known as ‘Khyat’ and ‘Vigat’ in Rajasthani language, which is the primary source of information about the history of Marwar and Jangal Desh.


Jibraeil writes about Jangala Desh [14]

“When Rathores led an expedition into the region of dry land also known as ‘Jangal Pradesh’, which was occupied by the Jats and various tribes, the Bhatis and Jats of the region wanted to secure their position, they measured sword with him (Bika) and fought bravely against them, but finally defeated and accepted Rathor suzerainty. [15]”

Dr Karni Singh, a well known political personality and author, records that Jats had established powerful governments in north India. Prior to 1488 Jats had seven Janapadas of Godara, Saran, Sihag, Beniwal, Puniya, Sahu, Johiya in desert region of Bikaner. Following are the main clans and their heads with capital and number of villages in each territory. [16], [17]

Foundation of Bikaner

Bikaner was land of Nehra Jat. Rao Bika made it his capital in in 1489. The Nehra Jat had put a condition that he would give land for the capital of Rathores only if his surname appears in the name of the town being founded. Hence the name, Bika + Naira= Bikaner.[18]

Beeka founded his capital, Bikaner, on the 15th Baisakh, S. 1545 (A.D. 1489), thirty years after his departure from the parental roof at Mandor. [19]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Rajasthan information Guide-Connectrajasthan
  2. ↑ James Todd Annals, Vol I ,p.141
  3. ↑ Dashrath Sharma, Rajasthan through the ages, Jodhpur, 1966, Vol.I, p. 287-288
  4. ↑ James Todd, Annals and Antiquities, Vol.II, p. 1126-27
  5. ↑ Ibid., Seventh clan of Jats
  6. ↑ James Todd, Annals and Antiquities, Vol.II, p. 1126-27
  7. ↑ Thakur Deshraj, Jat Itihas, Delhi, 2002, p. 269-285
  8. ↑ G.S.L.Devra, op. cit., Cf. Dayaldas ri Khyat, Part II, p. 7-10
  9. ↑ “Migration and Movement: The Role of Jats in Rural Settlements in Rajasthan during Medieval Period”, The Jats, Vol. 2, Ed Dr Vir Singh, Originals, Delhi, 2006, ISBN 81-88629-52-9, pp. 215-217
  10. ↑ BD Chattopadhyaya, ‘The Emergence of Rajputs As Historical Process in Early Medieval Rajasthan’, K. Schomer (ed) The Idea of Rajasthan, Vol. II, Delhi, pp. 163-166
  11. ↑ Nainsi Khyat, Vol. II p. 6
  12. ↑ Nainsi Khyat, Vol. I p. 12
  13. ↑ Vigat, Vol. 2, p. 9
  14. ↑ “Position of Jats in Churu Region” in “The Jats, Vol. 2”, Ed Dr Vir Singh, Originals, Delhi, 2006, ISBN 81-88629-52-9, pp. 223
  15. ↑ G N Sharma, Rajasthan Studies, Agra, 1970, p. 197
  16. ↑ Dr Karni Singh (1947): The Relations of House of Bikaner with Central Power, Munsi Ram Manohar Lal Pub. Pvt, 54 Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi.
  17. ↑ Dr Brahmaram Chaudhary, The Jats, Vol. 2, Ed Dr Vir Singh, Originals, Delhi, 2006, ISBN 81-88629-52-9, p. 250
  18. ↑ James Todd Annals, Vol I ,p.141
  19. ↑ James Todd Annals, Vol I ,p.142

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