Shani Shingnapur, the
most prehistoric temple in the West India is situated 84 kms from Aurangabad,
Maharashtra. The holy Hindu temple is devoted to Lord Shani, who is often
known as the Saturn planet. Saturn is held responsible for handling all
the prizes and punishments keeping in record the human’s actions on earth.
Thus human beings are very afraid of Shani Dev (the lord Shani) and keep
influencing and pleasing him in their favors. People often ask for the
blessings of the poor on Saturdays, which is known to be the day of ShaniDev.
People also contribute donations on the Shani Amavasya (the festival of
Lord Shani).
The Shani Shingnapur
temple consists of a lord’s statue, a slab of stone which
is assumed that it is
the iconic form of Lord Shani. People come from different corners of the
world to pay their homage. They can do prayers and give donations to the
temple.
The Shani Shingnapur temple
has got some very fascinating facts like:
•The devotees are allowed
to pray anytime as the temple remains open 24 hours in a day. The prayers
can even be performed by the men at night, though women are not allowed
to enter the temple at night at all as that is not considered an auspicious
sign.
•The statue of the Lord
is kept uncovered as the village residents say that Lord himself gave the
instructions not to cover the idol at all.
•The temple has got no
doors as the devotees believe that the Lord Shani will protect his devotees
all the time.
There are a few instructions
before going to the Shani temple and paying the homage. The deity can be
only touched by the men. Women are just allowed to view them and pray for
their righteousness and peace to the mankind. The men also have to
take bath before going to the holy place and those who wish to touch the
idol have to wear a saffron Dhoti given by the temple. These are compulsory
requirements before performing prayers to Lord Shani. The devotees can
perform pooja and abhishek (tilak) and all other customs and ceremonies
to the deity in the temple.
There is uniqueness of
the village named Shingnapur that the village homes do not have doors or
even locks for their security. The residents believe that Lord Shani’s
blessings do not let any crime happen in that village. The one who dares
to do any crime becomes paralyzed due to Lord’s anger.
There is a regimented
and well maintained life that is refrained from any kind of liquor or meat
in that village. There is a lot of faith, co-operation and sympathy amongst
the people living there. They lead extremely eco-friendly and harmonious
lives. No crime in the society means no loss to the human existence. |
