Shani Shingnapur: The village without doors

He is the most furious god from the Navgrahas. He is the one who keeps an eye on your karma and does justice as per your deeds. Lord Shani is believed to be the controller of longevity, misery, sorrow, old age, discipline, restriction, responsibility, delays, ambition, leadership, authority, humility, integrity, and wisdom born of experience. Maharashtra houses one such village in the name of Shani Shingnapur which is 75 km from Shirdi that worships the swayambhu deity of Shanidev.

The Village

Shani Shingnapur is popularly known as the village of no doors, no locks.  It’s known for its customary tradition of no doors for generations, which they practice towards their undying faith in the divinity of Lord Shani, the god of Saturn, considered as the holy guardian of the village.

It is believed that if anyone would attempt a theft here, they will attract the wrath from the supreme power and will be immediately punished with blindness. Even the jewelry and money are all kept without any lockers. Most of the public toilets in Shani Shingnapur village square have no doors. The villagers agreed to put a thin curtain near the entrance, for privacy of women. But not doors because that would go against the belief. The villagers occasionally use a barrier or a sheet at the entrance to keep the dogs and stray animals away from entering the home.

The Belief

According to the legends, roughly 300 years ago, a slab was found on the shores of the river Panasnala that once flowed through the village. When they touched it with a stick, blood started oozing out of it. Later that night Lord Shani himself appeared in the dreams of the village head, revealing that the slab was his own idol. He told him that the slab should be kept in the village where he will reside from here on.

But he had one condition: that it should not be sheltered due to its colossal powers. It’s said that the power of this rock is so divine that it can’t be kept under a roof. There is also a saying that the slab needs to be without shelter so that Shani can oversee the village without hindrance. Shani then blessed the village head and promised to protect the village from any kind of danger.

After the slab was enshrined, the villagers decided to boycott the doors. They didn’t need them anymore, not with the Lord to watch over them. Also, women were never allowed in the inner sanctum of the temple until April 2016 post the Bombay High Court’s judgement.

Even the new constructions at the village follow the same protocol. In January 2011, the United Commercial Bank opened the country’s first lock-less branch in Shani Shingnapur. At the time, it earned appreciation for respecting the sentiments of the villagers and being the only bank in the country that didn’t use a padlock at the end of the day. Interestingly, no complaint has been registered from Shani Shingnapur at the police station. Though it received cases from the neighboring villages which fall within its jurisdiction.