Karni Mata (Hindi: करणी माता), also known as Bhagwati Karniji Maharaj, Mehaai, Jagdamba and Kiniyani, is a Hindu goddess associated with power and victory and described in tradition as a warrior sage. According to tradition, she lived in western Rajasthan between the 14th and 16th centuries. She is regarded as the tutelary deity of the Rajputs and Charans of north-western India, and within the Sagati tradition is worshipped as an incarnation of Hinglaj or Durga. She is also recognised as the official deity of the royal families of Bikaner and Jodhpur.
Karni Mata is closely associated with the establishment of Rajput rule in the region. Tradition holds that, with her blessings, Rao Jodha and Rao Bika founded the kingdoms of Jodhpur and Bikaner respectively. At the request of the rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur, she is believed to have laid the foundations of Bikaner Fort and Mehrangarh Fort, two prominent forts of the region. She is said to have led an ascetic life and was widely revered in her lifetime.
Karni Mata continues to be venerated across Rajasthan and beyond. Indian Army troops drawn from the Marwar region regard her as their patron deity. The best known shrine dedicated to her is the Karni Mata Temple at Deshnoke, where the temple and the surrounding Oran land are treated as a sacred sanctuary for all living beings, and no creature is to be harmed within its bounds. In Rajasthan, blackbucks are considered sacred in this tradition, as Karni Mata is believed to protect them.