No house in this village, including its bank, has doors

Shani Shingnapur is a village located in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. A one of a kind village in India, and probably the world, Shani Shingnapur is famous for the fact that no house here has any doors. Residents of the village feel little need for security, thanks to their belief in special protection from the Hindu deity Shani, whose famous temple is located here.

A villager, Jayashree Gade told The Times of India in a interview, “Years ago, Shani came in the dreams of devotees and told them you don’t need to put any doors on your homes. He said: ‘I will protect you’. That’s why we don’t have any doors.” Following the village’s tradition, in 2011, the United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a ‘lockless’ branch in the village, the first of its kind in the country.

For centuries, no theft was reported in the village. It however changed in 2010 when Sakal Times reported a theft of cash and items worth Rs 35,000 from a vehicle. Since then there have been another incidence of theft in 2011. In January 2012, some gold ornaments were stolen from the temple itself. None of these incidents have, however, been able to shake the belief and devotion of the villagers here who continue to live in peace and harmony in this ‘doorless’ village.

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