Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra (Door-Deprived Houses)

Can you imagine a place where there is no door outside the house, where the shops are never locked and the biggest thing is that people do not feel insecure at all. Yes, there is a place called Shani shingnapur in the state of Maharashtra in India, where all the people never locked their homes and shops. And the most surprising thing is that officially there is no theft reported in the village till date. There is a religious belief associated with the people there. The people here believe that this village is protected by god Shani. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft.

There are many temples of god Shani in the country. But the Shani Temple of Shingnapur is very famous from all the temples. Shani Shingnapur is a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god associated with the planet Saturn. Shingnapur is 35 km from Ahmednagar city. The speciality of this world famous temple is that there is a unique looking black stone which is swayambhu (self-manifested) form of god Shani. This statue is placed under the open sky. There is no roof over the statue. The statue is about five feet nine inches high and one feet six inches wide. Shani Shingnapur is the most unique of all the temples of god Shani, it has its own distinct significance.

History of Shani Shingnapur

It is said that about 300 years ago, there was very heavy rain in Shingnapur which caused floods there. After rain and flood, people saw a black stone on the shores of the Panasnala River. The locals had never seen such a strange stone before. When a man touched the stone with a pointed rod, the stone started bleeding. They all were astounded by this miracle. After Seeing this, all were frightened and returned to their homes. That night, God Shani appeared in the dream of a villager and said that he is "Shanaishwara". He also told that the unique looking black stone is his swayambhu form. God Shani also told him to do daily pooja and 'Tailabhisheka' every Saturday. The man prayed and asked the lord whether he should construct a temple for him. To this, Lord Shani said there is no need for a roof as the whole sky is his roof and he preferred to be under open sky. After that day, he established that statue of unique looking black stone in the village. Then Shani Dev blessed the villagers and promised to save the village from danger.

Shani Shingnapur Dham is a holy pilgrimage site. Many devotees from around the world come to see this wonderful god Shani temple in Shingnapur. Due to its uniqueness, today Shani Shingnapur is the center of attraction of the whole of India. At least 40,000 people visit the temple daily. Earlier, women were not allowed to entering the inner sanctum. But on 8 April 2016, the Shani Shingnapur trust finally allowed the women devotees to enter the sanctum.