Shani Shingnapur

Shani Shingnapur (Shani Shinganapur / Shingnapu / Sonai) is a village situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. The village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god of the planet Saturn (graha). Shani Shingnapur Temple is located at a distance of 65 kilometers from Shirdi nestled in the Ahmednagar district.

Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames. Despite this, no theft was reported in the village until 2010 when cash and items worth Rs. 35000/- were stolen for a vehicle, and again in 2011 when Rs. 50000/-, gold rings, mobile phone, etc. was stolen from the home of a retired official of the Shree Shanaishwar Deosthan Trust itself! Still some villagers never keep their valuables under lock and key. Villagers believe that the temple is a "jagrut devasthan" (lit. "alive temple"), meaning that the god here is very powerful. They believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft. The deity here is "Swayambhu" (Sanskrit: self-evolved deity) that is self emerged from earth in form of black but imposing stone. Though no one knows the exact period, it is believed that the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue was found from times immemorial by shepherds of the then local hamlet. It is believed to be in existence at least since Kali yuga. Though there has been reports of thefts in Oct 2010 and Feb 2011.

The village has a post office and a high school known as Shri Shanishwar Vidya Mandir besides the primary schools run by the Zilla Parishad. The chief source of water supply in the villages is wells.

In January 2011, the United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a 'lockless' branch in the village, the first of its kind in the country, taking note of the near-zero crime rate in the region. The local police were reported to be unhappy over this development and that it amounted to a breach of conditions, because the Central government of India has made it mandatory for all banks to have high security.The bank has doors,but they will always remain open. However, it was reported by the local legislator and the bank officials that adequate precautions were being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents.

Shani Shingnapur Temple

The shrine for Shani consists of a five and a half feet high black rock installed on an open-air platform, which symbolizes the god Shani. A Trishula (trident) is placed along the side of the image and a Nandi (bull) image is on the south side. In front are the small images of Shiva and Hanuman.



Generally, the temple has 30-45000 visitors a day, which swells to around three lakh (i.e. three hundred thousand) on amavasya (the new moon day), believed to be the most auspicious day to appease Lord Shani. The village holds a fair in honour of the deity on this day. A bigger festival is held on new moon days that fall on Saturdays. Devotees bathe Lord Shani's image with water and oil and offer flowers, and udid to him. A palanquin procession of Shani is held on the day of the fair. Other festivals include the birthday of Shani, Shani Jayanti.



The shrine gained popularity with the decade-old film Surya Putra Shanidev made by the film producer Late Gulshan Kumar.



Timings: 24 Hours Open All days

Shree Shani Dev Temple
Sonai - Shani Shinganapur Road,
Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra 414105
Phone Number: 02427 238093, 079750 50747

Shani Shingnapur Distance Route Map

DistanceTime Taken
Aurangabad to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via Aurangabad - Ahmednagar - Pune Highway
80.9 km 1 h 24 min
Delhi to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via Mumbai - Agra National Hwy
1,320.0 km 23 h 38 min
Mumbai to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via Bengaluru - Mumbai Hwy/Mumbai Highway/Mumbai -
Pune Highway and Aurangabad - Ahmednagar -
Pune Highway/Beed - Ahmednagar - Pune Road/Kopargaon -
Shirdi - Ahmednagar - Pune Highway/Pune - Ahmednagar Highway
292.5 km 5 h 46 min
Nashik to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via NH60
150.4 km 3 h 23 min
Pune to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via Pune - Ahmednagar Highway
160.7 km 3 h 26 min
Shani Shingnapur to Bhimashankar, Maharashtra
via NH61 and MH SH 112
205.1 km 4 h 27 min
Shani Shingnapur to Ellora Caves, Maharashtra
via Aurangabad - Ahmednagar - Pune Hwy
103.9 km 2 h 10 min
Shani Shingnapur to Grishneshwar Temple, Maharashtra
via Aurangabad - Ahmednagar - Pune Hwy
104.4 km 2 h 10 min
Shani Shingnapur to Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, Maharashtra
via NH60
180.0 km 4 h 18 min
Shirdi to Shani Shingnapur, Maharashtra
via NH160 and MH SH 66
72.2 km 1 h 43 min

Legend of Shani Shingnapur Temple

One of the popular legend is about a shepherd who found this big stone. The story is that once the shepherd accidentally hit the stone. Surprisingly, blood started oozing out of that stone. It is said that Lord Shani himself appeared and told him to build a temple around that stone. Lord Shani also said that "the sky itself is a roof for him and the shepherd need not build a roof for the temple." Further, the Lord asked him to perform daily poojas. Lord Shani also promised that he will protect the village from any theft or robbery.

For many years, women were not allowed inside the main sanctum. Yielding to a high voltage campaign by activists, the Shani Shingnapur temple trust on Apr 01 2016 allowed women to enter the sanctum sanctorum, breaking the tradition followed for several decades. On April 01, the High Court held that it is the women’s fundamental right to go into places of worship and the government is duty-bound to protect it.

Shani shingnapur temple story, benefits, opening closing time, video, rules, timings in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil. Taxi fare, bus time table to Shani shingnapur temple with route map. Why women's are not allowed in Shani Mandir.

How to Reach Shani Shingnapur Temple

Shani Shingnapur by Air
The nearest airport to reach Shani Shingnapur Temple is Aurangabad Airport which is nestled 90 kilometers away. However, the airport at Nasik is situated at a distance of 144 kilometers and Pune Airport is nestled 161 kilometers away from the temple. So, in case you wish to visit Shani Shingnapur by Airport you can take the cab or bus to the temple from any of the above mentioned airports.

Shani Shingnapur by Road
The famous Shani Shingnapur Temple is easily accessible by road as MSRTC – Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation buses are easily available from all the major destinations of Maharashtra including Shirdi, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Pune, Vashi and Mumbai etc. Moreover, one can also opt to take cab, taxies and private buses.

Shani Shingnapur by Train
The temple is well connected to all the major cities via train. Some of the major cities which connect to this temple include Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Goa, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Shirdi and Chennai etc. However, the nearest railway station to Shani Shingnapur is Rahuri which is 32 kilometers away. Apart from this, Ahmednagar is 35 kilometers, Shrirampur is 54 kilometers and Shirdi Railway Station is 75 kilometers away from the temple.

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