Shani Shingnapur

The village is famed for its temple dedicated to Shani - the planet Saturn. A remarkable fact is that there are no locks on any of the doors in the village for residential or commercial, including the bank. Local legends claim that the village is 'protected' and no thief can cross its borders without dying. Skeptics, please note that the village has remained theft-free in recorded history.

Shani-Shingnapur is a famous pilgrim centre near Nashik in Maharashtra, which is also known for its doorless mystery. The unique feature of Shani-Shingnapur is that there is neither any image of a specific deity nor any particular idol, but there is a stone pillar, which is supposed to embody the image, which is worshipped with deep respect and reverence.

The speciality of this temple is that there is no image or Pandit who performs the puja. Male devotees before entering the temple take a head bath in the holy waters close to the temple and wear saffron cloth. The puja is carried out in the form of Pradakshanas, wherein the devotee go around the idol a couple of times, chanting prayers.

Devotees also perform 'Abhishekas' (rites involving pouring of certain liquids over the idol) with water and 'Til' (mustard) oil. Thousands of people including a few famous personalities gather on Shani Amvasaya to perform Puja.

In this village one can find the houses having gaping, rectangular spaces at the facade of every home. No doorframes, no latches, no padlocks or any other safety measures to guard the house are found. It is believed that nobody dares to steal anything because then it is believed that if they do so Shani Deva, the local deity, punishes them. It has been proved that even if something is stolen, the owner has always got the stolen things back. There is also a belief that if a snake in Shinganapur bites a person, he is brought to the temple and a ritual is performed in front of the idol, which neutralizes the poison.

Devgad is a village located to the east of Shaneshwar, which is famous for Shri Datta temple. The temple is open for the visitors for 24 hours. There is another belief attached to this place that the Neem tree standing to the North of the Shani idol sheds its branches if one happens to cast a shadow over the idol. Shiridi is another major pilgrim center of Maharashtra and India, which is very close to Shani-Shingnapur.