Shani Shingnapur Shani Shignapur is a village located in Ahmednagar District of Maharashtra. It is about 35 km from Ahmednagar. The presiding deity of Shinganapur, Sri Shaneshwara or Lord Shanidev‐ the personification of the planet Saturn is worshipped with utmost reverence and devotion by multitudes of people from all over the world. The spectacle of the deity in black stone is overwhelming. A unique aspect of this place is, that no temple structure houses the Shanidev. There is only a simple platform on which stands the swayambhu idol, in black stone. Unlike other pilgrimage centres, devotees here can perform puja or abhishek or other religious rituals themselves. One of the unique aspects of the village Shiganapur is that houses here have no door‐ frames or locks on them for safety. They are in fact not needed. The people here believe that it is the benediction of the god that no crime ever occurs in this village. Shri Dattatraya Temple and the tomb of Sant Shri Udasi Baba are the nearby attractions. Legend of Shanidev Suryadev(son of Brahma) and Sandna (the daugther of Daksha Prajapati) were Shri Shaneshwar's parents. Sandna and Suryadev had two sons Dakshinadhipati Yama and Shri Shaneshwar and four daughters Tapti, Bhadra, Kalindi and Savitri. Sandna finding it unbearable to live with the harsh glare of Surya's light, created her own replica and named her as Sanvarna and asked her to behave as Surya's wife and perform all the duties and savour the privileges of a wife. She made her promise that under no condition would she reveal to Suryadev that she was not Sandna and promised to help her when needed. Sandna went back to her father Daksha. When Daksha saw that his daughter coming back, he advised her that she better live with her husband only. The dejected Sandna did not follow her father's advise and instead transformed herself into a mare and resided in the Himalayas and started penance. Savarna performed the role of dutiful wife. She also gave birth to five sons and two daughters from Surya. Surya did not have any doubts about Sanvarna. One day Shanidev was very hungry and he asked his mother to give him something to eat. She asked him to wait till she had made her first offering to God. But Shanidev insisted on serving him first and in anger kicked his mother Sanvarna. She in return cursed him that his leg would break. Shanidev reported the matter to his father Surya. Surya said," a mother would never curse a son like this." Surya observed Sanvarna closely and found that she was not Sandna. Surya was enraged and asked her who she was. Sanvarna confessed that she was a 'shadow' of Sandna. and that Sandna had gone to the Himalaya for penance. Surya told Shanidev that Sanvarna was like his mother and her curse would not go in vain. It is therefore that Shanidev has one lame leg. Sampat Shanidev It is commonly believed that many miseries in life are caused due to the displeasure of Shanidev. A local legend given below demonstrates the need to keep Sahnidev propitiated. There was a small town and there lived a poor brahmin with his family. He had three daughters‐in‐law. During the rainy days, he used to get up early in the morning, have his Breakfast and leave for the farm. As a routine, he had entrusted the house‐hold chores to the youngest daughter‐in‐law. It was Shravan Month. On the first Saturday, he told the young lady that today is Saturday, go upstairs, get some food grains, grind them to prepare the roties and kenakurdu vegetables. She followed the instructions. She found that there were grains enough for half a roti. She prepared the food out of this and waited for her in‐laws. By the time, Shree Shanidev appeared at the house in the form of a Lepor and told the lady that his entire body is aching, please apply oil and bathe him with hot water and thereafter give me some food to eat. The young lady had a sympathy for him. She applied oil and bathed him. Gave him the food and thus quenched his hunger and thirst. Lepor blessed her. The blessings were that she will never fell short of anything in the life. After some time, the in‐laws came home and saw an excellent preparation of food and happily wondered as to how this happened when there was very little in the home.On the next Saturday, the Brahmin told the second daughter‐in‐law to be at home and left for the farm. Shanidev as usual appeared in the guise of a lepor and requested the lady to bathe and to serve the food, This young lady told him that there was nothing in house to offer him. Shanidev cursed her and said, 'Whatever you have would vanish'. Shanidev left home. The lady went up and found that there was nothing in the pots. The father‐in‐law came back home and she informed him that there is nothing for the supper. They scolded her. Then she narrated the whole episode. The third Saturday, the Brahmin asked the third daughter in law to manage the home. Shanidev appeared in diguise and requested this young lady to serve. The young lady followed the suit of the second one with a negative approach. The result was that nothing remained in the house. All the family had to fast. The lady was very sad for the incident. Again on the fourth Saturday. The Brahmin entrusted the house to the youngest daughter‐in‐law and left for the field. Shanidev came as usual as a lapor and requested to serve. The lady wholeheartedly bathed him and gave the food to his satisfaction. Shanidev blessed her that all her desires would be fulfilled. The lady went up again and found ample food grains etc. She cooked a sumptuous supper for the entire family. The in‐laws were happy to have the food, they enquired from where she got all the grocery. The lady narrated the story of the lepor. They were quite happy. All of a sudden the father‐in‐law spotted a bundle of patravali (a leaf in which the food was served). He opened the bundle and found diamonds and pearls in it. He enquired of other daughters‐ in‐law, they informed that the lepor had come to them twice but they did not give him anything. The lepor got annoyed and everything vanished from the house and we all had to fast. The Brahmin offered prayers to Shanidev and asked blessing for all. Worship Unlike other places of worship, at the shrine in Shinganapur there are no long queues and no waiting period. Devotees need not even wait for a priest. If needed priests are there on Saturdays and Mondays to offer puja and abhishek. To worship the Lord Shaneshwara in Shinganapur, a devotee has to take a head bath and proceed in wet clothes to the platform where the swayambhu idol of Shani Maharaj exists. The devotee then circumambulates, offers prayers and performs Abhishek‐s with water from the holy well in the vicinity and sesame oil. Sacrificial offerings are not permitted here. Any male devotee can go up to the platform wearing a wet cloth but women are enjoined to offer worship without mounting the platform There is another well from which water is fetched only for Shani Maharaj's rituals. Women are forbidden to use this well. Devotees are expected to follow some rules also known as Sanket. Adequate facilities are available for Shuchirbhuta ritual (bathing and cleansing of the devotees). The devotee has to be bare headed (without any cap or cloth on the head)while receiving Darshan of the deity. Devotees pour water on the idol with wet clothes and perform Abhishek. Brahmins are available for Abhishek on Saturday and Monday. To perform the abhishek a devotee offers Oil, preferably sesame is offered in multiples of quarter, Coconut, dried dates, dried cocount, betel nut, rice, turmeric‐kumkum, gulal, neel, sugar, colotropis flowers preferably blue, pedha‐s, black cloth, curds and milk etc. used. A devotee who wishes to avert the misery offers kavadi, bibba, udid, nail, or pin, or rice. If it is a Abhishek of the Navas (after fulfillment of desires), then money in the form of silver coins,a trident‐ trishul), shriphal, or iron articles like ghamela or animals like horse, cow, buffalo are offered. Places To See Besides the idol of Shaneshwar, there are temples of the village‐ Goddess Laxmibai. In front of this, there is a Samadhi (Tomb) of Sant Shri Udasi Baba and three unknown Samadhis. To the east of Shaneshwar, there is a temple of Shri Dattatraya. The Shaneshwar Devasthan trust has proposed to erect a bronze statue of Shri Udasi Baba in near future. On requests from the devotees, the idols of Vighnaharta Ganesh, Kailashapati Shankar and Vaikunthapati Vishnu have been installed. Location and travel Shinganapur is a village situated at a distance of 6 kms from Ghodegaon on Aurangabad Ahmedanagar road in Maharashtra. It is 84 Kms from Aurangabad and 35kms from Ahmednagar. From Ghodegaon, there is a motorable tar road leading to the Shri Shaneshwar and is open in all the seasons. The population of this village is about 3000. State Transport buses ply regularly to Shinganapur from Ahmednagar, Aurangabad. Another well known pilgrim centre Shirdi is at a distance of 70kms from Shinganapur and can be reached via Rahuri and Sonai. By Road Alight on Aurangabad‐Ahmednagar N.H.No 60. at Ghodegaon and Shanishingapur is 5 Kms from there. Or, on Manmad‐Ahmednagar N.H. No 10, alight at Rahuri and Shanishingnapur is 32 Kms from there. From there, one can avail the bus‐shuttle services. From there, one can utilize the State Transport Bus services, taxis, bus services etc. By road, Shani Shignapur is linked with Aurangabad (68 km) and Shirdi (70 km). By Train One can travel from any corner of India to Shanishingnapur. For this, the suggested railway stations are Ahmednagar, Rahuri, Shrirampur and Belapur. From these railway destinations, there are S.T. buses, Jeeps, Taxis etc. facilities to Shanishingnapur. Ahmednagar Railway Station is the nearest railhead By Air Having arrived from abroad to Mumbai or other from other states to Aurangabad or Pune by air, one can avail S.T. bus, jeeps, taxies facilities upto Shanishingnapur.