Shani Shingnapur, Shirdi

The Shani Shingnapur Temple is dedicated to God Shani and is about 73 km from Shirdi. The village that houses the temple interestingly doesn’t have doors on their houses. This act stems from the villagers’ strong belief that their Lord Shaneshwara will protect them from all evil, including robbery and theft. It is said that any person who steals anything gets blinded on the same day as a punishment to his crime.

Lord Shani’s idol is large and made of black stone. Only male devotees are permitted to worship in the temple. The devotees should first take bath in the public bathrooms and then pray with wet dhotis without any upper garment.

Plenty of worshippers who visit Shirdi pay homage to the Shani God too. The temple is open for worship from 5 am to 10 pm.