A legendary pilgrim town

Spread across a mere 1km radius, Shani Shingnapur is small town of about 200 houses in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, India, where throngs of pilgrims come to offer their prayers to the Hindu god, Lord Shani.

Here you’ll find one the most venerated temples of Lord Shani in the country, and Shani Shingnapur residents unanimously put their faith in the deity as their protector. Due to a 300-year-old legend, no house in the village has doors. And this belief extends beyond the residential houses to nearly all the town’s civic establishments, from hotels to the police station and even the bank. And there’s not a single shop in Shani Shingnapur where you can buy locks and keys.