Shani Shinganapur

Shani Shinganapur

Shani Shinganapur is famous as the abode of Shani Bhagwan. The fame of this village has spread not only in India but abroad too. The Diety of Lord Shani of Shinganapur is a swayambhu idol   (emerged on its own) and is found on a simple platform. The houses here have no door frames, latches or padlocks, hence barrierless. It is believed that there is no theft in this place and if anybody even attempts to do so, he would be punished by God Shani immediately. In Shinganapur one can find shops and houses without doors. There has been an instance where a person was bitten by a snake in Shinganapur and he was brought near the idol and a ritual performed, resulting in the poison getting neutralized. The mahima or greatness of this temple is such that, it is visited by people of all religions.

Male devotees clad in only saffron cloth after taking bath can proceed in wet clothes to the platform where the swayambhu idol (self existant statue) of Shani Maharaj exists and perform puja to the idol.They can pour mustard Oil or water on the idol and even touch the idol. Women are forbidden from going near the idol or going near the well used from which water is drawn for bathing the idol. This place is frequented by those facing the malefic effect of Planet Saturn like Saadhe Saati. This place is flooded with devotees on the day of Shani Amavasya. But unlike some other places of worship, at the shrine in Shinganapur there is no special or privileged entry for anyone. The devotee has to be bare headed (without any cap or cloth on the head) while receiving Darshan of the deity. Brahmins are available for performing Pujas on Saturday and Monday.The Aarti timings are around 4 AM in the morning before sunrise and after sunset around 6 PM.

The nearest airport is Nashik, which is 160 kms from Shinganapur.This place is well connected by rail and road as well. One can get direct buses from Nasik, Shirdi, Ahmednagar and Pune. From Mumbai Shinganapur is 280 kms and can be reached in 5 hours. It is around 85 Kms from Aurangabad, 70 kms from Shirdi and 35kms from Ahmednagar. ( courtesy: http://anamikas.hubpages.com/hub/Shani-Shinganapur-Shanidev-temple)