Shani Shinganapur
Famous for its temple of Shri Shanaishwar is a village called
Shinganapur, 11 km off the Pune-Aurangabad highway. The deity
is a 5 feet 9 inches tall idol placed not in the temple, but
on the plinth in the open. Shani Shingnapur is one of the
frequently visited places by devotees visiting Shirdi. People
visiting this holy place will be surprised to find that all
the houses here do not have doors. Only frames exist. It is
believed that the Lord Shani punishes those who enter any house
with the intention of robbing. The thief is either nabbed before
reaching the village limits or the Lord Shani strikes him down.
All men visiting this place have to have a bath and wear an orange
coloured pancha (cloth tied round the waist, before performing the
puja. Panchas are available at stalls selling items for the puja.
Women are not allowed to perform puja standing on the plinth. Fairs
are held on 'shani-amavasya' and on 'Gudi-Padwa', which is considered
as the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar.
Distance: 000 kms from Nandura.
The village with no doors!
In a world where one cannot trust one's neighbour, there lies
a village, 360 km from Mumbai, which prides itself on being a
doorless village!
A Saturday, the day most tourists flock to unravel the
unique `doorless' mystery of Shani Shingnapur. What greeted us on
our arrival was a village where you would be hard pressed to find
a door to knock on. What you see instead are gaping, rectangular
spaces at the facade of every home. No doorframes, no latches, no
padlocks or any other securing system that the rest of the world
needs to use!
We kicked off our tour with a stopover at the main temple housing
the presiding deity, Sri Shaneshwar Graha Devatha. Male devotees
clad in saffron cloth take a head bath in the holy waters close
to the temple before making their way to the temple. The doorless
architecture makes its presence felt here as well. The deity in a
black stone image does not have either roof or a priest - another
rarity in an Indian place of worship!
Puja, as a local informed us, was carried out in the form of
pradakshanas, a ritual that involves going around the idol a
couple of times, chanting prayers. Devotees also perform abhisheks
(rites involving pouring of certain liquids over the idol) with
water and til (mustard) oil. The deity is quite popular and attracts
political heavyweights and movie stars (one such being Govinda).
The best way to perform puja is on Shani Amavasya, a moonless
Saturday night.
To the east of Shaneshwar is the temple of Shri Datta, which
does not restrict the devotees' darshan (praying) hours. A trust
has been formed by the locals to provide all the materials and
utensils free of charge to devotees who want to do annadan
(distribution of free food). A dharmashala (a place of free shelter
and food) exists where up to 150 people can have lunch. The trust
plans to start a religious library, a hospital and a pilgrim school.
The only entry barrier for walking into a house are curtains,
and these have been put up to keep out stray animals. Ditto for
windows. The houses in the region do not even use locks for their
cupboards or suitcases! Rarely do thieves try their luck here, but
if they do - and succeed - legend has it that the culprit has been
adequately `punished' by Shani Deva, the local deity, and the owner
has always been able to retrieve things stolen. There is also a
belief that if a person is bitten by a snake in Shingnapur and is
brought near the idol and a ritual performed, the poison gets neutralised.
Among other things unique to this place is the story attached to
the old neem tree north of the Shani idol. It is believed that the
tree sheds its branches if one happens to cast a shadow over the idol.
Once your tryst with the doorless wonder is over, you could proceed
to Devgad, an hour's drive from Shingnapur. A quiet locale, Devgad
is host to the temple of Lord Datta. One can spend hours together
without being disturbed in the temple premises, or at the banks
of the adjoining river. After some quiet moments you could proceed to Shirdi.
How to get there:
The nearest airport is Nashik, which is 160 kms from Shingnapur.
Accommodation:
There is no suitable accommodation at Shingnapur! It is advisable to stay at Shirdi and do a one-day return trip.
The doorless village.
A Saturday, the day most tourists flock to unravel the
unique `doorless' mystery of Shani Shingnapur. What greeted us on
our arrival was a village where you would be hard pressed to find
a door to knock on. What you see instead are gaping rectangular
spaces at the facade of every home. No doorframes, no latches, no
padlocks or any other securing system that are so common in every
other Indian village.
We kicked off our tour with a stopover at the main temple housing the
presiding deity Sri Shaneshwar Graha Devatha. Male devotees clad in Saffron
cloth take a head bath in the holy waters close to the temple before making
their way to the temple. The doorless architecture makes its presence felt
here as well. The deity in a black stone image does not have a roof
nor a priest. Another rarity in Indian places of worship.
Performing puja(prayers), as a local informed us, was carried out in the
form of pradakshanas, a ritual that involves going around the idol a couple
of times chanting relgious prayers. Devotees also perform abhisheks(rite
involving pouring of certain liquids over the idol) with water and
til(mustard) oil. The deity is quite popular and attracts political
heavyweights and movie stars(one such being Govinda). The best day to perform
pooja is on Shani Amavasya, a moonless Saturday night.
To the east of Shaneshwar is the temple of Shri Datta, that does not restrict
the devotees' darshan(praying) hours. A trust has been formed by the locals to
provide all the materials and utensils free of charge to devotees who want to
do annadan(distribution of free food). A dharmashala(a place of free shelter &
food) exists where upto 150 people can have lunch. The trust plans to start a
religious library,a hospital and a pilgrim school.
The only entry barrier for walking into a house are curtains and
these have been put up to keep out stray animals. Ditto for windows.
The houses in the region do not use locks for their doors or cupboards
or even their suitcases. Rarely do theifs try their luck here and
but if they do and succeed legend has it that the culprit has been
adequately `punished' by Shani Deva, the local deity and the owner
has always been able to retrieve things stolen. There is also a belief
that if a person is bitten by a snake in Shingnapur and is brought near
the idol and a ritual performed, the poison gets
neutralised.
Among other things unique to this place is the story attached to the old
Neem tree north of the Shani Idol. It is believed that the tree
sheds its branches if one happens to cast a shadow over the idol.
Once your tryst with the doorless wonder is over you could proceed to
Devgad, an hour's drive from Shingnapur. A quiet locale Devgad is host
to the temple of Lord Datta. One can spend hours together without being
disturbed in the temple premises or at the banks of the adjoining river. After
some quiet moments you could proceed onward to Shirdi.
Accomodation:
There is no suitable accomodation at Shingnapur. It is
advisible to stay at Shirdi and do a one day return trip.
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