Shani Shingnapur

A little village settled in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, 65 km away from Shirdi, Shani Shinganapur is believed to be the home of Lord Shaneshwara (the personification of the planet Saturn). The place is visited by devotees coming in to pay respect to the Mighty Lord Shanidev. The belief of the local people in the deity is so strong that they don’t build doors for their houses. In the entire village, you can’t spot one house with doors locking them. The villagers, putting all their faith in Shanidev, have never encountered any robbery or theft despite not installing doors or locks in their houses. An idol of Lord Shani Dev made in large black stone is placed in the temple in the village and is worshipped by the people with devotion. However, only the male devotees are allowed to worship inside the temple. These male devotees are first expected to take a bath in the nearly public bathrooms before entering the temple. Then, they must offer their prayers without any upper-garments, in wet dhotis.

Good for: God Lovers Experience Seekers

Entry fee: no entry fee

Timings:
All days of the week
12:00 AM – 12:00 PM

How to Reach:
65 km away from Shirdi, you’ll need to take a cab to Shani Shingnapur. You can also take a bus, though their frequency is low. This journey would take you about 2 hours to complete.