Shani Shingnapur Temple

Shani Shignapur Temple is a Jeet Devasthan (alive temple) in the Ahmednagar district, well-known for the magical and powerful Lord Shani, who is believed to reside in a black stone to date. The Hindu God symbolizing the planet Saturn is referred to as Swayambhu, which means that he has emerged himself in the form of the black stone that scores lakhs of devotees every year. The trust of people in the lord is so strong that none of the houses in the wondrous village has doors and locks as people believe that Lord Shani is protecting their valuables from thieves.

On some of the holiest days like Saturdays, Amavasya, and Shri Shaneshchar Jayanti, the enthusiasm and vehemence rise to the next level. Some Hindus worship Lord Shani to please him as the influence of planet Saturn on anyone's life is considered bad luck.
A visit to the Shani Shignaour Temple surely gives hope that your remaining life will be smooth and that Lord Shani will bestow only happiness upon you.

History

Many fables and tales are associated with the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue of the temple. And according to one of them, the statue was brought down by the turbulent current after a heavy bout of rain and flood. The shepherd's group noticed the temple and when one of them tried to touch it with a pointed rod, blood started oozing from it. Watching this, the shepherds got scared and immediately rushed to their respective works. On the same night, a Shanaishwara appeared in the dream of the most devoted and pious of the shepherds and stated that he wished to stay in that village in the same form and without a roof above him. And Shanaishwara even promised that if they accepted his wish, there will be no cases of theft in the village. Since then the stone is worshiped as Lord Shani. It’s this temple that strengthens the local tradition of not installing doors and locks on the village houses.

As per the locals, the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue came into existence at the start of Kali-yuga, but the east-facing multi-deity temple was built years later. However, the popularity of the shrine has increased tremendously only over the past 20-25 years. In the temple, there is a tomb of Saint Udasi Baba and a temple dedicated to Dattatray.

Architecture

The Shani Shignapur Temple has no roofs, doors or walls around. It only has a five and a half feet high black stone, symbolizing Lord Shani, placed on a platform. The idol is placed under the open sky, and this makes the temple unique as compared to others. On the idol of Lord Shani, mustard oil is poured continuously from a copper vessel that hangs just above the idol. There are also images of Nandi, Hanuman, and Shiva besides Lord Shani.