These children belong to the Musahar community ("Musahar" meaning "rat eaters" in Bhojpuri), a socially marginalised community placed at the bottom rung of India's hierarchical caste system.
About 250 families from the community have been living in Kubaul village in Darbhanga district for the past 150 years.
"Earlier our meals were dependant on the availability of rats and grains that we would procure from the rat holes," Malhu Sada, 74, a member of the community, told Al Jazeera. "However, things are changing for some families as their children have gone to different states to work. We now catch rats mostly during the harvesting season."
This photograph taken on August 18, 2017 shows boys of the Musahar community playing with a rat at Alampur Gonpura village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar
A member of the Musahar community holding a rat at Alampur Gonpura village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, on Aug 18, 2017. PHOTO: AFP
This photograph taken on August 18, 2017 shows members of the Musahar community eating roasted rat at Alampur Gonpura village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. -AFP
A member of the Musahar community roasting a rat at Alampur Gonpura village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar. PHOTO
Members of the Musahar community roasting a rat at Alampur Gonpura village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
Star attraction: Hundreds of people queue to offer their prayers at the temple in Rajasthan, India, where the rats are worshipped
Paying their respects: The temple draws visitors from across the country for blessings as well as curious tourists from around the world
Not for the faint-hearted: A close-up of a rat eating a peanut. Eating food that has been nibbled on by the rats is considered to be a high honour
Pictured (right) is the Goddess Karni Mata
Shrine: This Hindu temple was constructed by Maharaja Ganga Singh in the early 1900s as a tribute to the rat goddess Karni Mata
Ritual: People seen preparing food in a huge cauldron. Charan priests perform Mangla-Ki-Aarti and offer special food to the rats as worship
In every nook and cranny: Two rats (left) are seen climbing on a door at the rat temple in Rajasthan, India
Star attraction: Hundreds of people queue to offer their prayers at the temple in Rajasthan, India, where the rats are worshipped
Rodent ritual: Worshipers believe the rats are an incarnation of the Goddess Karni Mata whose statue is pictured (above) in the temple
Hands-on experience: A worshipper feeds one of the rats, which are known as kabbas. Many travel great distances to visit the temple
VIP treatment: The rats are allowed to scurry through the temple, where they are worshipped, fed and protected
Putting faith in his furry friends: A child watches a group of rats drinking milk in the rat temple in Rajasthan, India, which is home to around 20,000 of the creatures
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