Informative

Shani Shingnapur: Village without doors

Can you step out of your home without checking the door? Can you live in a home without locks? Imagine a village where homes have no front doors, banks are permanently unlocked, and shops do not have CCTVs looking over your shoulders.

Today, in the blog series of mysterious temples of India, we are going to visit the peculiar village Shani Shingnapur, home of the Shani Temple, where villagers have such a faith over Lord Shani Deva that they do not need doors for their homes. They believe that the God of Saturn, Lord Shani Deva, watches over the village, protecting them.

Story of the Shani Shingnapur

 Many years ago, the Panasnala river used to flow through the Shingnapur village. About 300 years ago, it was flooded during the monsoon. After the floodwater was cleared, a giant black slab with a unique shape was found lying on the ground. A shepherd pocked the stone with his pointy stick, and the black stone started oozing blood.

The same night, Lord Shani appeared in the village head’s dream and said that the slab contains his Divine essence and should be considered his idol. Lord Shani ordered the village head to establish the idol on the platform, without walls and roof, so that the Lord could look over the village and protect the villagers. The following day, as per the order of the Lord, the platform was constructed, and Lord Shani was established there, and since then, he has been protecting the village from every calamity.

For several generations, the villagers believe that Lord Shani has undertaken the village under his protection; there is no need for the doors and locks for the house, as the Lord watches over them all the time. Karma works faster here than usual, and thieves are punished instantly and severely as per the villagers. Suppose anything that belongs to the devotee or villager goes missing, it is returned to the owner via post or courier within no time.  

  

God without the roof: Shani Shrine

The Shrine of Lord Shani is five and a half feet tall and one feet wide black rock, installed on the open-air platform. There is a trident on one side of the rock, and on the left, small Nandi sits patiently. In the front, the devotees pray consecrated idols of Mahadev and Lord Hanuman.

Known as the potent Teertha Stahl (Holy Land) of Lord Shani, this temple is visited by about fifty thousand devotees daily. As Amavasya (new moon) day is considered auspicious for Lord Shani, around three Lakh people gather here every Amavasya. Devotees from all over the country gather here to bathe Lord Shani in water and oil. They present black gram lentils along with flowers as offerings to Lord Shani.

Worship of Lord Shani

When there is a new moon on Saturday, it’s known as Shani Amavasya. Usually, two to three Shani Amavasya arrive during the year. This is an extraordinary occasion for the devotees of Lord Shani Deva. Lakhs of people gather in Shani Shingnapur on this auspicious day to pay homage to their Lord.

There are various reasons devotees gather to receive blessings from Lord Shani. Suppose Lord Shani is arriving in your Rashi in the horoscope. In that case, if you are suffering from the effect of Sade Sati, you are welcomed here.

You can perform Talabhishek, or bathe the Shani Deva with mustard oil, to reduce the adverse effects of Sade Sati (seven and half years of unfavourable period).

Many devotees who have their business or service related to iron, transport, travelling, petroleum, medical, and law regularly pay homage to Lord Shani for Barkat or prosperity. They believe that pleasing Lord Shani will bring positive manifestations in their professional life.

Suppose you are suffering from heavy loss in business or prolonged health issues. In that case, Lord Shani will help you out by reducing the mal effect of the unfavourable planetary positions, negativity in the surroundings, excessive stress, or spiritual misinterpretations that are responsible for the troubles you are facing.

After taking a bath, devotees get in line (men dressed in wet clothes) to go to the foundation of Shani Deva. Remember to remove any headgear like cap or hat before approaching the Lord. It is also believed that if there has been a recent death or birth in your home, you should not enter the temple premises.

Depending on the intentions, many offerings like a black thread, mustard oil, Rui (calotropis) leaves, holy water, or horse-shoe are presented to the Lord. Depending on the Sankalpa or resolution, devotees choose which Yaga (chant ceremony) they have to perform. Yaga is performed by sitting in the courtyard of the Shingnapur temple premise and chanting the Shani Mantra twenty-three thousand or ninety-three thousand times, as per the suggestions recommended by the temple priests.

Devotees believe that praying here gives you peace of mind and repels the negativities from life. Known as the Lord of justice, Lord Shani makes you healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. Chanting the potent Beej (seed) Mantra of Shani yields relief from ill effects caused by the unfavourable positioning of Saturn in your horoscope.

Since the Village of Shani Shingnapur is surrounded by fields, snakebite incidences are common. If any of the villagers gets bitten by the snake, he would be brought to Lord Shani, wrapped in black clothes. They believe that with the Shani Teerth (holy water), the effect of Venom can be nullified, and the patient shall be cured. When the patient is stable, the patient’s closest relative takes a bath and wears wet clothes, performs the Parikrama of Lord Shani, and offers water to the Lord as gratitude. Thousands of villagers hold this belief and live their life accordingly.    

Shani Shingnapur is just 70 kilometres away from the world-famous temple of Shirdi. Next time you visit Shirdi, please do not forget to visit this potent spiritual power source nearby. Lord Shani Deva will embrace you with open arms and empower you with the internal strength and confidence to remove obstacles in front of you and proceed further on the path of spirituality.

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