 "Deshnoke railway station was the first large-scale inauguration of a redeveloped station, with 100 more such to follow in the next 8 months Photo: Railways Ministry")
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.
For the proud people of this revered village, an investment in heritage through an upgraded railway station — and the Prime Minister’s visit — carries both economic and emotional value. The visit also launched, at scale, the government’s flagship railway upgrade programme: the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
“A lot of pilgrims used to come by road, as the only major station nearby was Bikaner, and it wasn’t really usable for tourists — limited waiting space, hardly any resting capacity — even if they wanted to catch a train. Now, the redevelopment will give people more comfort and convenience, and more will be able to travel,” said Sanjay Sewar, who has been selling prasad outside the temple for around four years, hopeful that it will bring prosperity to all the vendors.
The redeveloped station — redesigned with Jodhpur marble and a stone façade emulating a fort — has been built to reflect the area’s religious and princely heritage. It features an upgraded waiting room, air-conditioned with couches instead of the erstwhile broken chairs, along with modern resting areas, improved staff and crew facilities, and expanded space for its solitary platform, according to national transporter Indian Railways.
According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this was the first large-scale inauguration of redeveloped stations, with 100 more to follow in the next eight months.
“By 2027, 500 of the 1,300-odd stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme will be inaugurated,” he said.
Rajasthan is among the states with a high number of army recruits — a tradition Prime Minister Narendra Modi alluded to during his first public rally after Operation Sindoor.
Ahead of Modi’s visit, Deshnoke, Bikaner, and surrounding villages were draped in billboards congratulating the Prime Minister and the armed forces on the success of Operation Sindoor. In keeping with the theme, the station was decked with tricolour flags, along with a viewing gallery to honour martyred soldiers from the state.
The divinity of Karni — revered as a symbol of valour by the people and officers of the armed forces from the state — is closely tied to the region’s political history.
An exhibit at the Sadul Singh Museum, located in the Bikaner royal family’s estate, the Lallgarh Palace, details how Rathore kings Rao Jodha and Rao Bika (founders of Jodhpur and Bikaner) had sought her blessings and guidance at various points during their rule. Her association with the clan is believed to date back to Rao Jodha’s father, Rao Ranmal, who also turned to his tutelary deity for guidance in establishing his kingdom.
“Modi’s visit to the Karni temple and the flagging off of a special train from Deshnoke sends a message that even the smallest stations — rooted in tradition and heritage — will be made world-class under the scheme. The redevelopment cost around ₹14 crore and will boost religious tourism. It also signals that our border states are safe and secure,” said a spokesperson for North Western Railway.
He added that the Bikaner–Bandra Express — flagged off by Modi — will now directly connect Mumbai to Deshnoke, and the train’s rapid filling on its first day is likely to prompt discussions around more services through the station. The station currently has capacity to handle multiple trains, and the platform capacity will be further enhanced.
While this time of year typically sees low footfall, Kishan Kanwar, who runs a tea stall and dhaba in Bikaner, said the rising temperatures are making the “lean season” longer, posing a threat to the tourism economy of the city and surrounding villages like Deshnoke.
