Karni Mata

This article is about Karni Mata. For the temple in Deshnoke, see Karni Mata Temple.

Karni Mata
Goddess of Power and Victory and Incarnation of Hinglaj
Other namesRiddhi Baisa
Devanagariकरणी माता
Affiliation
AbodeWestern Rajasthan (Marwar)
WeaponTrident
SymbolEagle (Sanwali)
MountLion flanked by eagle
Genealogy
ParentsMehaji Kiniya & Deval Bai
SpouseDepaji Rohadiya of Sathika

Karni Mata (Hindi: करणी माता, or Bhagwati Karniji Maharaj), known by various names such as Bhagwati, Mehaai, Jagdamba, and Kiniyani is a Hindu Goddess of power and victory[1] described as a warrior sage, who lived between 14th and 16th centuries in Western Rajasthan. Karni Mata is the tutelary deity of the Rajputs and Charans of northwestern India. As a Sagati, she is also worshipped as an incarnation of Hinglaj or Durga.[2] She is the official deity of the royal families of Bikaner and Jodhpur. Karniji played an important role in shaping the history of the region. She is intimately associated with the establishment of the Rajput hegemony in the region. With her blessings, Rao Jodha and Rao Bika founded the kingdoms of Jodhpur and Bikaner. At the request of the Maharajas of Bikaner and Jodhpur, she laid the foundations of Bikaner Fort and Mehrangarh Fort, the two most important forts in the region.[3] She lived an ascetic life and was widely revered during her lifetime.[4] Indian Army troops from the Marwar region also regard Karni Mata as their patron deity.[5]

The most famous of the Karni Mata temples is the Karni Mata Temple of Deshnoke where the temple and surrounding Oran land are a sacred sanctuary for all the living beings and no one is to be harmed.[6] In Rajasthan, Blackbucks are considered sacred as Karni Mata is supposed to protect them.[1]

  1. ^ a b Geer, Alexandra van der (16 October 2008). Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time. Brill. ISBN 978-90-474-4356-8.
  2. ^ "Amazing Shri Manshapurna Karni Mata Temple – HariBhakt | History, Facts, Awareness of Hindu Dharma". Retrieved 6 April 2022. Shri Karni Mata is the incarnation of Devi Hinglaj or Devi Durga(The Goddess of Power and Victory. Goddess Durga is synonymous with Shakti, the cosmic power that wages an eternal war against the evil and also the energy of life for everyone).
  3. ^ Matheson, Sylvia A. (1984). Rajasthan, Land of Kings. Vendome Press. pp. 129, 131. ISBN 978-0-86565-046-6. After performing miracles and foretelling the future early in her life, Karanji dedicated herself to the service of the poor. She is said to have laid the foundations of the fortress of Jodhpur in 1458, prophesying that the dynasty would rule until the 'twenty-eighth step', and when Prince Bika, son of the Jodhpur ruler, was on his way to found his own kingdom of Bikaner in 1465, he visited Karanji for her blessing. Today she is known as Karni Mata. On important occasions her image is dressed in clothes from the royal Bikaner house, whose rulers never engaged in battle without first seeking the saint's blessing.
  4. ^ Schaflechner, Jürgen (2018). Hinglaj Devi: Identity, Change, and Solidification at a Hindu Temple in Pakistan. Oxford University Press. pp. 65, 66. ISBN 978-0-19-085052-4.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :52 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ujwal, Kailash Dan S. (1985). Bhagwati Shri Karniji Maharaj: A Biography. [s.n.].