If a single rat usually makes us scream, what would happen in a place where mice of all types and sizes walk freely, drink milk from large fountains and receive food and even some pampering from visitors? That place exists: in the state of Rajasthan there is the world-famous Rat Temple. It is located in the town of Bikaner, has beautiful and ancient architecture, and is, for many devotees, a place of pilgrimage.
The reason: according to Hindu belief, the nearly 50,000 specimens of rats of all types and sizes that walk through the rooms and gardens of the temple are actually humans who have been reincarnated into these small animals. And precisely for this reason, they are offered food and care in this temple of Karni Mata, the Hindu goddess of rats.
In this tide of rodents, people pray, thank and approach without fear, and are even happy if they see white rats, because they are considered good fortune: it is Karni Mata herself greeting her believers.
Monkeys and cats
They climb, they climb, they greet visitors, they bathe in a lagoon near the temple and they are, definitely, masters and lords of this place. The monkeys of the Galwar Bagh temple, in Jaipur, a “family” of about 4,000 members that animate the space consecrated to Hanuman, the monkey god of Hindu mythology.
People come to that place in search of blessings and health, for which they usually take a bath in a small lagoon that is said to be “miraculous” and to have healing waters. The animals are not usually aggressive but it is recommended to keep in mind that they are quite trusting, which is why they steal food, cell phones or whatever they find attractive.
Very different is the case of Istanbul. In the city that connects Europe with Asia, the ones that are pampered and pampered are cats. Ships from all over the world came there with several cats on board to control the rats. As it was, many of these traveling kittens ended up settling in the city. But, in addition, there is a history of Islam that encourages love and care for felines. It is said that the Prophet Muhammad was a cat lover because one of them had saved his life by killing the snake that had tried to bite him while he was praying.
Muhammad then blessed all the cats in the world and it is even believed that whoever kills a feline must build a mosque to have Allah’s forgiveness. Surely this is why all Muslims have a special devotion for cats. In Istanbul alone it is estimated that there are more than 150,000 cats that come, eat and sleep wherever they please without anyone daring to bother them.
Elephants and snakes
In Sri Lanka, also called “The Island of a Thousand Names” or “The Island of Elephants”, pachyderms are a revered presence. There is even an elephant orphanage here that, since 1975, has taken in animals that have been left without families due to hunters or simply because their herd rejected them.
And the national government promoted laws for the protection of this species that, according to Buddhist tradition – and most of the Sri Lankan population is Buddhist – appeared to Buddha’s mother during her pregnancy and gave her a lotus flower. . Precisely for this reason, elephants are considered a symbol of good fortune on the island.
At the other end of the world, very close to San Pablo, is Queimada Grande. This rocky and at the same time very green island is famous for the uncontrolled reproduction of cobras and other snakes, one more poisonous than the other. The scientists – who are the only ones authorized by Brazilian authorities to go down on the island to interact with the animals and then develop serums – suspect that it was precisely the state of isolation in which Queimada Grande is located that allowed its snakes to become increasingly poisonous and lethal.
Since they survive by hunting birds that are several times their size, they would have perfected their poisons. The truth is that the antivenom serums developed from these poisons save the lives of thousands of people and, in addition, by working with the venom of some of the species present on the island, they have also managed to develop very effective medications to control high blood pressure. .
Definitely, the world is a huge place and although many species have been extinct by humans throughout history, many animals coexist with us every day and continue to be the undisputed kings in various parts of the planet.
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