PARAKUNNATH SREE VETTAKKORUMAKAN PAYYAN KSHETHRAM (TEMPLE), AROLI, KANNUR, KERALA: Vedic people gave a lot of importance to animals in their lives and associated them with the deities they worshipped.

Thursday 18 January 2018

Vedic people gave a lot of importance to animals in their lives and associated them with the deities they worshipped.

Vedic people gave a lot of importance to animals in their lives and associated them with the deities they worshipped. The Vedas mention several animals by name, such deer, boar, foxes, antelopes, boars, jackals, lions, monkeys, wolves, bears, rats, etc. They knew the importance of horses, elephants, cows, bulls and other domesticated animals in both religious and economic activity.

The rat is a symbol of destruction, timidity, nervousness, ignorance, fear, and confusion. They can overcome obstacles in their search for food and remain underground in tunnels and crevices. In ancient India, next to elephants, rats posed a major threat to crops, vegetables, and orchards. It is no wonder that Hindus have long tradition of worshiping them both, the anthropomorphic form of elephant as Ganesha, and the rat, known as Krauncha as his vehicle. Both are propitiated by farmers to save them and their crops from obstacles such as pests, locusts, diseases, floods, storms, and gales. In the worship of Ganesha, his vehicle is not directly worshipped, but he gets his due share from the offerings that are made to his master. Because of their association with Ganesha, rats enjoy a lot of freedom in Hindu households, as people do not like to kill them or capture them, unless they pose an extreme nuisance.

It is said that during the British times, many Indians resisted the idea of killing rats even when the country faced the threat of bubonic plague. There are numerous temples for Ganesha, but there are no temples specifically built for the rats. However, the Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan is famous for its tradition of revering the rats. Rats roam freely in the temple premises and receive offerings of food from the devotees who visit the temple to worship the goddess. It is believed that the rats that roam there have an affinity with the hereditary priests and servants of the temple and may be reborn in their families. Hence, they are treated with a lot of compassion and offered food.