Deshnoke is a City in the
Bikaner district of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.The city is famous for the
Karni Mata Temple and was established by Goddess Karni-ji herself who led her followers to this region.
This city will be developed as the Capital of the proposed new state
Maru Pradesh.
History
Source:
The village was established on Vaisakh Sudi 2nd of Samvat 1476 (1419 AD) by
Bhagwati Karniji Maharaj.
Rao Ranmal, the Rathore ruler of
Marwar
Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. The word 'maru' is Sanskrit for desert. In Rajasthani languages, "wad" means a particular area. English tra ...
and a follower of Karniji suggested the initial name ''Deshoat'' meaning "Shield of the land" hoping that true to this name it would protect his kingdom. However, Karniji stated that kingdoms will belong to their rulers so long as they depend on their own might and fight for moral values. Therefore, she named the village as ''Deshnak'' (Nose of the Land), to be as important to the Marwar kingdom of
Rathores as a nose is to an honorable man.
In course of time, the village ''Deshnak'' came to be known as Deshnoke.
Geography
Deshnoke is located at . It has an average elevation of 265meters (869feet).
Demographics
, Deshnoke had a population of 15,791. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Deshnoke has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 60% and, female literacy is 41%. In Deshnoke, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Karni Mata Temple
Source:
Located near the
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
border, the
Karni Mata Temple is a popular tourist destination in the Bikaner region.
Karni Mata also has followers from outside of the state. During Navratri, thousands of devotees visit the temple mainly from Rajasthan,
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
, and also from
Haryana
Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...
and
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
.
Biography of Karni Mata - According to tradition, Karni Ji was born in the Kiniya lineage of
Charans. Many miracles were associated with her beginning from her childhood. Her parents arranged her marriage with Depaji Bithu of Sathika. However, after her marriage, she later expressed to her husband her unwillingness to engage in matrimonial relations. Respecting her wishes and on her advice, Depaji married Karni-ji's younger sister for the continuation of his line. She herself remained celibate all her life, with the concurrence and support of her husband.
Karni lived in Sathika village for about two years before leaving with her followers and a large herd of cattle. When she reached near Deshnoke, Rao Kanha himself came to oppose her camping but he died. Karni Mata declared her follower Rao Ridmal of Chandasar as the new ruler of the region and continued on her journey.
In 1453, she gave her blessing to
Rao Jodha
Rao Jodha Rathore(28 March 1416 – 6 April 1489) was a ruler of Mandore in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He was the son of Rao Ranmal (Rao Ridmal) of the Rathore clan. He is known for his illustrious military career and for founding the c ...
of Jodhpur for conquering
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...
,
Merta and
Mandor
Mandor is an ILRC and village in Phagi Tehsil in Jaipur district, Rajasthan.
Mandor has seven patwar circles - Kansel, Pachala, Mandor, Rotwara, Ladana, Sawai Jaisinghpura and Sultaniya
Soltaniyeh ( fa, سلطانيه, also Romanized ...
. 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 Amar Ji Charan. In 1472, she arranged the marriage of
Rao Bika
Rao Bika Rathore (5 August 1438 – 17 June 1504), was the founder of the Kingdom of Bikaner in present-day Rajasthan. He was a scion of the Rathore clan of Rajputs. He was a son of Rao Jodha, founder of the kingdom of Marwar.
Establishme ...
(the fifth son of Rao Jodha) and Rang Kunwar (daughter of Rao Shekha of Pungal) to turn the enmity between
Rathore
The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India.
Subclans
Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage
This article discusses the "Kanauji ...
and
Bhati Rajputs into friendship. In 1485, she laid the foundation stone of the fort of
Bikaner
Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital of ...
at the request of Rao Bika. In 1538, Karniji went to visit the Maharaja of Jaisalmer. On 21 March of that year she was travelling back to Deshnoke with her stepson Punyaraj and a few other followers. They were near
Diyatraof Bikaner district where she asked the caravan to stop for water. She disappeared there, reportedly at the age of 151 years.
References
{{Bikaner district
Cities and towns in Bikaner district
Charan