THE MYSTERY BEHIND NO DOORS IN SHANI SHINGNAPUR

While passing through the countryside of Maharashtra, you stumble across this village called Shani Shingnapur. While the people are very hospitable and you love their company, you notice something bizarre about the houses they live in. Not even a single place in that village has a door or any other kind of security system!

Village without doors. Image Source: Anand Bazar

The story dates back approximately 300 years ago when according to a legend there was a significant flood in the area of Shani Shingnapur. After days, when the water level came down, the villagers saw a big black slab on the ground. They thought of the slab as a part of the debris that might have swum along with the rest of the material during the flood. However, that was not the case.

The 1.5m heavy boulder was seen with a lot of curiosity. Unable to contain the fascination, one of the members of the village poked a stick into the boulder, and the result was shocking. The moment when the stick came in contact with the boulder, blood started oozing out of it. Weird, right?

The same night, the village headman had a dream about Lord Shani talking to him and telling him that the boulder was his manifestation. He asked the village headman to place the boulder in an open temple so that he could look after the village without any hindrance and could bless the people of Shani Shingnapur. Hence, Shani became the official guardian for the village and people decided to remove their doors from their houses.

While the legend is very interesting and people for years have been following this tradition without fail, the question that arises is how is this village still safe? We are in a very chaotic world at the moment where robberies have become as common as buying groceries. Then how is it that this village, for centuries has been safe? Is it the upper hand of Lord Shani who is keeping the evil atrocities away from this village or there is another reason behind this superior security?

Well, a lot of residents and the people who are trying to figure out this mystery believe that the reason for such high security is the sheltered life these people live. A lot of people in India are not aware of this village since it is secluded. Yet, many believe in this legend without questioning it and want to follow it until the day they die.

Even one of the renowned banks in India, United Commercial Bank opened up a 'lockless branch' in this village. The branch had no door or a security lock anywhere in the complex as a way to keep up with the tradition of the village.

However, in recent years due to increasing pilgrimage activity and this unique legend, this village has gained popularity and has also seen occasional thefts. Due to this, people have started asking the village panchayat for permission to install doors for their family’s security. There has been no such agreement on this yet but people are becoming increasingly curious to install security systems in their houses.

What is your take on this whole No Door thing?