Unlike other pilgrimage centres, devotees here can perform puja or abhishek
or other religious rituals themselves.
One of the unique aspects of the village Shiganapur is that houses here have
no door- frames or locks on them for safety. They are in fact not needed.
The people here believe that it is the benediction of the god that no crime
ever occurs in this village.
They lead a disciplined life abstaining from Liquor and meat. The social
relations of people are marked by trust, co-operation and empathy. Their
life styles are based on reverence for nature in other words ecologically
compatible, besides socially and economically sustainable norms.
Shinganapur is a village situated at a distance of 6 kms from Ghodegaon on
Aurangabad Ahmedanagar road in Maharashtra. It is 84 Kms from Aurangabad and
35kms from Ahmednagar.
>From Ghodegaon, there is a motorable tar road leading to the Shri Shaneshwar
and is open in all the seasons. The population of this village is about
3000.
State Transport buses ply regularly to Shinganapur from Ahmednagar,
Aurangabad.
Another well known pilgrim centre Shirdi is at a distance of 70kms from
Shinganapur and can be reached via Rahuri and Sonai.
Suryadev(son of Brahma) and Sandna (the daugther of Daksha Prajapati) were
Shri Shaneshwar's parents.
Sandna and Suryadev had two sons Dakshinadhipati Yama and Shri Shaneshwar
and four daughters Tapti, Bhadra, Kalindi and Savitri.
Sandna finding it unbearable to live with the harsh glare of Surya's light,
created her own replica and named her as Sanvarna and asked her to behave as
Surya's wife and perform all the duties and savour the privileges of a wife.
She made her promise that under no condition would she reveal to Suryadev
that she was not Sandna and promised to help her when needed.
Sandna went back to her father Daksha. When Daksha saw that his daughter
coming back, he advised her that she better live with her husband only. The
dejected Sandna did not follow her father's advise and instead transformed
herself into a mare and resided in the Himalayas and started penance.
Savarna performed the role of dutiful wife. She also gave birth to five sons
and two daughters from Surya. Surya did not have any doubts about Sanvarna.
One day Shanidev was very hungry and he asked his mother to give him
something to eat. She asked him to wait till she had made her first offering
to God. But Shanidev insisted on serving him first and in anger kicked his
mother Sanvarna. She in return cursed him that his leg would break.
Shanidev reported the matter to his father Surya. Surya said," a mother
would never curse a son like this." Surya observed Sanvarna closely and
found that she was not Sandna. Surya was enraged and asked her who she was.
Sanvarna confessed that she was a 'shadow' of Sandna. and that Sandna had
gone to the Himalaya for penance.
Surya told Shanidev that Sanvarna was like his mother and her curse would
not go in vain. It is therefore that Shanidev has one lame leg.
It is commonly believed that many miseries in life are caused due to the
displeasure of Shanidev. A local legend given below demonstrates the need to
keep Sahnidev propitiated.
There was a small town and there lived a poor brahmin with his family. He
had three daughters-in-law. During the rainy days, he used to get up early
in the morning, have his Breakfast and leave for the farm. As a routine, he
had entrusted the house-hold chores to the youngest daughter-in-law. It was
Shravan Month. On the first Saturday, he told the young lady that today is
Saturday, go upstairs, get some food grains, grind them to prepare the
roties and kenakurdu vegetables. She followed the instructions. She found
that there were grains enough for half a roti. She prepared the food out of
this and waited for her in-laws. By the time, Shree Shanidev appeared at the
house in the form of a Lepor and told the lady that his entire body is
aching, please apply oil and bathe him with hot water and thereafter give me
some food to eat. The young lady had a sympathy for him. She applied oil and
bathed him. Gave him the food and thus quenched his hunger and thirst. Lepor
blessed her. The blessings were that she will never fell short of anything
in the life. After some time, the in-laws came home and saw an excellent
preparation of food and happily wondered as to how this happened when there
was very little in the home.On the next Saturday, the Brahmin told the
second daughter-in-law to be at home and left for the farm. Shanidev as
usual appeared in the guise of a lepor and requested the lady to bathe and
to serve the food, This young lady told him that there was nothing in house
to offer him. Shanidev cursed her and said, 'Whatever you have would
vanish'. Shanidev left home. The lady went up and found that there was
nothing in the pots. The father-in-law came back home and she informed him
that there is nothing for the supper. They scolded her. Then she narrated
the whole episode. The third Saturday, the Brahmin asked the third daughter
in law to manage the home. Shanidev appeared in diguise and requested this
young lady to serve. The young lady followed the suit of the second one with
a negative approach. The result was that nothing remained in the house. All
the family had to fast. The lady was very sad for the incident. Again on the
fourth Saturday. The Brahmin entrusted the house to the youngest
daughter-in-law and left for the field. Shanidev came as usual as a lap.
Unlike other places of worship, at the shrine in Shinganapur there are
no long queues and no waiting period. Devotees need not even wait for a
priest. If needed priests are there on Saturdays and Mondays to offer puja
and abhishek.
To worship the Lord Shaneshwara in Shinganapur, a devotee has to take a head
bath and proceed in wet clothes to the platform where the swayambhu idol of
Shani Maharaj exists. The devotee then circumambulates, offers prayers and
performs Abhishek-s with water from the holy well in the vicinity and sesame
oil. Sacrificial offerings are not permitted here. Any male devotee can go
up to the platform wearing a wet cloth but women are enjoined to offer
worship without mounting the platform
There is another well from which water is fetched only for Shani Maharaj's
rituals. Women are forbidden to use this well.
Devotees are expected to follow some rules also known as Sanket.
Adequate facilities are available for Shuchirbhuta ritual (bathing and
cleansing of the devotees).
The devotee has to be bare headed (without any cap or cloth on the
head)while receiving Darshan of the deity.
Devotees pour water on the idol with wet clothes and perform Abhishek.
Brahmins are available for Abhishek on Saturday and Monday.
To perform the abhishek a devotee offers Oil, preferably sesame is offered
in multiples of quarter, Coconut, dried dates, dried cocount, betel nut,
rice, turmeric-kumkum, gulal, neel, sugar, colotropis flowers preferably
blue, pedha-s, black cloth, curds and milk etc. used.
A devotee who wishes to avert the misery offers kavadi, bibba, udid, nail,
or pin, or rice.
If it is a Abhishek of the Navas (after fulfillment of desires), then money
in the form of silver coins,a trident- trishul), shriphal, or iron articles
like ghamela or animals like horse, cow, buffalo are offered.
Generally the devotees can perform pooja and abhishek on any day at Shari
Shaneshvar tirtha. But the Amavasya or the no day moon which falls on a
Saturday is considered to be most auspicious. On such a day lakhs of
devotees from all corners of the country come to receive blessings of Shri
Shanidev. On every Shani Amavasya there is a Yatra.
*cnu.pne*
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