A Platform for Pilgrims, and a Signal to the Nation

Karni temple town near Bikaner at crossroads of faith and forward motion

- DHRUVAKSH SAHA

Around 5 in the evening, the area near the Karni Mata Mandir in Rajasthan's Deshnoke village is crowded with devotees seeking blessings and hoping to catch a glimpse of a white rat at one of India's major pilgrimage sites. Until a fortnight ago, these same streets would have been preparing to slip into hours of darkness and silence.

For any town that had to observe civil defence and blackout protocols during the week marked by aerial warfare between India and Pakistan, stories of sleepless nights and a sense of constant, clutching unease are common among the people.

Shops in Bikaner and Deshnoke—a small village about 30 kilometres away—had to shut by 7 pm, with a complete blackout at home. People were advised to stay indoors, and travel also took a hit.

"There was no major panic in the area when Operation Sindoor was underway, even though relatives from border villages would call and say they heard loud booming throughout the nights. This area is well inside the border, but there was a lot of anxiety. For many of us, our children are in the armed forces and they were on duty—all we could do was pray to Karni Mata for success," said Sunita, who had come to visit the temple.

Raised among the remnants of their ancestors' storied past, most people in the region can trace and recall multiple generations of Karni's family and the closely associated royal lineages of Jodhpur and Bikaner.