Shani Shingnapur
Shani Shingnapur
Sonai | ||
---|---|---|
Aurangabad 84 kilometres (52 mi) | | |
Distance from Shirdi | 74 kilometres (46 mi) | |
† Maharashtra Govt. gazetteer Website ‡Falling grain |
Shani Shingnapur
Details
Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames. Despite this, officially no theft has been reported in the village[4] although there were reports of theft in 2010 and 2011.[5]
The temple is believed to be a "jagrut devasthan" (lit. "alive temple"), meaning that a deity still resides in the temple. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting thievery.
The village has a post office and a high school known as Shri Shanishwar Vidya Mandir besides the primary schools run by the
Historical importance
The story of the
He told the shepherd that he is "Shaneeshwara", and a unique looking black stone is his swayambhu form. The shepherd 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. He asked the shepherd to do daily pooja and 'Tailabhisheka' every Saturday. He also promised the whole hamlet will have no fear of dacoits or burglars or thieves.
So, Lord Shanaishwara can be seen even today, in the open yard without any roof. To this day, there are no doors for any houses, shops, temples.
Shrine of Shani
The shrine for Shani consists of a five and a half foot high black rock installed on an open-air platform, which symbolizes the god Shani. A
Generally, the temple has 30,000–45,000 visitors a day, which swells to around three lakh people on amavasya, believed to be the most auspicious day to appease Shani.[1] The village holds a fair in honour of the deity on this day. A bigger festival is held on new moon days that fall on Saturdays. Devotees bathe Lord Shani's image with water and oil and offer flowers, and udid to him. A palanquin procession of Shani is held on the day of the fair.[4] Another celebration is the birthday of Shani, Shani Jayanti.[1]
The shrine gained popularity with the film Surya Putra Shanidev made by film producer Gulshan Kumar[1] and featuring Puneet Issar, Mahesh Thakur, Dharmesh Tiwari, and Anuradha Paudwal.[9]
Entry to women
According to a 400-year tradition, women are restricted from entering the inner sanctum. On 26 January 2016, a group of over 500 women, led by activist
In a landmark judgement on 30 March 2016, the Bombay High Court asked Maharashtra government to ensure that women are not denied entry to any temple.[11] On 8 April 2016, the Shani Shingnapur trust finally allowed the women devotees to enter the sanctum.[12][13][14]
UCO Bank
In January 2011, the United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a 'lockless' branch in the village, the first of its kind in the country, taking note of the near-zero crime rate in the region. The local police were reported to be unhappy over this development and as it amounted to a breach of conditions, because the Central government of India has made it mandatory for all banks to have high security. The bank has doors, but they will always remain open. However, it was reported by the local legislator and the bank officials that adequate precautions were being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents within them.[15]
Bull carting
The path to Shingnapur village is covered with sugarcane fields and locals use bulls to extract juice from the sugarcane, instead of machines. These type of juice extraction centres are known as Rasavanti.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d Sanger, Vasundhara (3 June 2008). "TOI". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ISBN 9780852297605. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ^ "Census – India". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Maharashtra Govt. gazetteer Website". Maharashtra.gov.in. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ^ Jain, Swati (31 May 2016). "The Village With No Locks or Doors". BBC. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
- ^ "No front doors in village of Shani Shingnapur". The Times of India. 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Village with no locks and doors". BBC.com. 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Shani Shingapur". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ सूर्यपुत्र शनि देव Surya Putra Shani Dev I Hindi Devotional Full Movie I Hindi Film Bollywood. Retrieved 10 May 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ Women marching to Shani temple stopped
- ^ "Shani Shingnapur row: Allow women entry to temples, says Bombay HC". The Indian Express. 31 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ "Shani Shingnapur temple allows women inside inner sanctum". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
- ^ https://www.asianage.com/mumbai/religious-head-s-statement-receives-flak-all-round-656
- ^ https://www.asianage.com/mumbai/meeting-shani-temple-row-fails-resolve-issue-056
- ^ "God as guard: Bank opens 'lockless' branch". The Times of India. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ "A village with no doors, no thefts". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 July 2017.