West India · Maharashtra
Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
Sources: wikimedia
Before you go
Saturdays and Shani Amavasya are the busiest; usually combined with Shirdi (~70 km).
About Shani Shingnapur
- Inland
Where it is
Shani Shingnapur is a village in the Nevasa taluka of Maharashtra, on the Deccan plains about 70 km south-east of Shirdi.
History
The village grew around an open-air shrine where a black stone about five and a half feet tall is worshipped as Shani, the deity of the planet Saturn. Local tradition says the stone was found after a flood and that Shani wished to remain under the open sky, and faith in his protection gave rise to the village's custom of houses without doors.
People
Shingnapur's villagers speak Marathi and farm the surrounding plains, and many also run stalls selling oil, flowers and offerings for Shani. Pilgrims pour oil over the stone as an offering, and the village's trust in the deity shows in its open, doorless homes.
Known for
- The open-air Shani stone on its platform
- Houses without front doors
- Saturday and Shani Amavasya gatherings
- A lockless bank branch
Did you know?
In 2011 UCO Bank opened a lockless branch in Shani Shingnapur, in keeping with the village's tradition of houses without doors.
Shrines and sites
- Shri Shaneshwar Devasthan
- The village famous for houses with no doors
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.