Shingnapur-day 2

Shingnapur is a small town near Shirdi. It takes three hours by taxi. I shared my taxi with others going there. The route is splendid and the pre Diwali weather was just the perfect blend of warm sun and cold winds. You can see the quintessential Marathi manoos, hard working and well mannered in his white kurta and Nehru cap. How they manage to keep their white clothes spotlessly clean in the fields is a secret only they know. The rest of us and the detergent companies can only marvel at them. The Marathi word for brother is "bhau". Using helps one equate with the local population better. They are proud of their heritage and pictures of Shivaji, one of India's finest Generals from the mideaval ages is seen in most shops. I heard people speaking in the classic "wahan jane ka" and "woh khane ka" way Lucknowites like me have only seen in movies.

One can't help noticing that everything from the tea stall to the hotels you'll encounter along the way have been named after Sai Baba. "Sai-Kripa", "Sai-Varsha", "Sai-Dham" and a million other combinations can be seen all the way up to Nasik.

the pilgrim



that's me at the trident



Shani Shingnapur is the ultimate destination for all Shani Deva devotees. Shani or the planet Saturn is the divine judge in Hindu mythology. He is known a hardtaskmaster doling out harsh punishments to those who err and also blessing those who do good. He commands a special place in the Hindu pantheon. At Shingnapur(which sounds like Singapore the way the taxidrivers scream it out) is known to have the lord incarnate as a 5 and a half foot black rock. Local tradition demands that only men can touch the rock. Women however can pray from a few meters away. There are no priests in the temple and one can pray as he chooses to. Guides outside help you out with the rituals but one must be cautious of being ripped off. Donning a saffron sarong I took a shower and followed the stream of saffron clad bare chested men into the shrine. A Trishul (trident) was the first stop. Then the rock I mentioned above. All the while chanting glory to the Lord Shani. After bathing the Lord with oil as is the normal practice I asked for blessings and returned to my mum waiting close by. As I've mentiones before, pictures are not allowed.

my mum at Woodland's

Sugarcane juice being made

my second glass

Shingnapur has no doors. Thats's right! The shops, schools, private homes have no doors. The locals believe that their town is blessed and any misdeeds are severly punished by Shanidev. One has to see the place to believe it.

After a tasty Pav Bhaji, extremely popular in Maharashtra, and sold as as an inferior replication of in the rest of the suncontinent I hopped back into the jeep and headed back to Shirdi. The sugar cane juice made in the area is manna. Its is made from cane which looked thicker to me than the cane grown in my state. Its was made by a bull tugging along a grinding machine instead of the usual mechanical crushers used elsewhere. It's Maharashtra's gift to manking and a musthave for anyone travelling to the area.

A word or two about food in the area: shirdi has an array of tiny eateries and big restaurants catering all kinds of food. Famous are a "Udupi" outlet and a "Woodland's" which are especially popular for their South-Indian fare. Dosa's of all sorts, idli's, sambhar, curries of all kinds, Punjabi and even Chinese food find place in the menu. Uttapam's are spelt "Uttapa" in Maharashtra. There's even a Domino's pizzeria and an outlet of Cafe' Coffee Day. My favourite was the Wada with Sambhar.

reading Gandhi

It was pleasant all day in Shirdi but it rained for an hour in the evenings everyday. And when it rained, it poured. An umbrella is a must. The lightening and thunder was like being at the battle of Trafalgar.

Another interesting day lay ahead of me but I wasn't as excited as I was about the memories of the day gone by. I slept carefree, which I can only do on a holiday.