shani dhamon men anek shanitirth kshetra aise hain, jinka pauranik granthon men jikra hai aur kai tirth kshetra aise hain jinka pauranik kathaon men jikra to nahin hai, kintu ve apni mahima ke karan lakhon bhakton ki shraddha ka kendra bane hue hain. shani ke 8 ank ki pradhanta ke karan hi 8 tirth kshetra shani tirthon ke antargat ate hain. moksh ki prapti ki kamna se log in athon tirth kshetron ki yatra karte hanai. dhamon ka jikra jahan ata hai, vahan par dhai dham shanidev ji ke lie bare hi shreshth mane jate hain. jab bhi kisi par shani ki mahadsha, shani ki sarhesati ya shani ki dhaiya ati hai, tab vah shanidev ko prasann karne ke lie aur shani dasha ko shubhflkari banane ke lie shani dhamon ki yatra karta hai. shani dham ke antargat tin kshetra ate hain.
do kshetron ko pura dham aur ek kshetra ko adha dham mana jata hai. shani dev ki shraddha bhakti men maharashtra kshetra sabse age hai. maharashtra ke mul nivasiyon ke gharon men se 70 pratishat gharon men marathi bhasha men prachlit pauranik ‘‘shani mahatmya’’ granth (pothi) dekhi gai hai, jahan purani pirhi se shiksha pakar 50 pratishat nai pirhi bhi dainik sadhna men shani pothi ka path karti hai. maharashtra ke pratyek nagar, jile, kasbe v ganv men shani mandir sthapit hain. maharashtra men purankalin shani mandir bhi hain aur san 1857 i. ke bad se raja maharajaon dvara pauranik gathaon aur prasangon ke anusar nirmit shani mandir bhi jinmen garur par savar shani ki murtiyan sthapit hain. hal men pauranik mandiron ka jirnoddhar hua hai, par murti vaisi ki vaisi hi hai.
maharashtra ke adhikatar kshetron men garur par savar shanidev ji ki murtiyan sthapit hain. sinhasan rath par savar shanidev ji pure bharat varsh men prachlit hain. bharat ke pramukh dharmik sthanon men rath par savar shanidev ji (prasann mudra men) kaue ke sath dekhne men ate hain. dakshin bharat mane 80 pratishat kshetra men kauon ke sath shanidev ji ke darshan hote hain. shanidev ji ki murti ke age, piche ya bagal men kaua jarur dikhaya jata hai. kaue ki savari vale shanidev tamilnadu kshetra men adhik hain.
is sanbandh men ek katha bhi prachlit hai, jo prernadayi bhi hai. vahan ke bhakt batate hain ki kauon men bahut sari aisi visheshtaen hain, jo insanon men nahin hain. uske gunon ke karan hi shanidev ji ka pyar use mila hai. ham kaue ko kabhi ek roti dalte hain to vah kabhi bhi akela nahin khata hai. kanv-kanv karke anek sathiyon ko pahle bula leta hai. fir mil baithakar sabhi bantakar uske tukre karke khate hain. vah kaua ‘vasudhaiv kutumbakama’ ki bhavna rakhta hai.
kahta hai ki apni roti mil bantakar khao taki tumhare parivar ke sare log sukhi rah saken aur ekta men bandhe rahen. kaue ko isilie shanidev ne yah vardan diya ki pitri paksh (shraddh paksha) men tumhara man barhega, log pitron ki shanti ke liye tumhen bula bulakar bhojan karaenge. anttah shanidev ji, jo purva janm ke punya/ pap ka fal bhi logon ko dete hain, is kaue ke bhoj ke dvara purva papon ka prayashchit bhi svikar karte hain.
yahi karan hai ki dakshin bharat ke shani kshetron men kaue ko shanivar ko bhojan karane ki paranpra hai. fir kaue ka rang kala hone se use dala gaya ann shanidan ke rup men bara punya fal bhi de jata hai. shri shani kshetra shignapur maharashtra maharashtra ke ahamad nagar jile ke shignapur ganv men yah shanikshetra hai. yah aurangabad se lagabhag 100 kimi. aur sain baba ki shirdi se 80 ki. mi. ki duri par sthit hai. ahamadanagar jile se iski duri 30 ki.mi. hai.
yah shani kshetra us samay se adhik prasiddh hua, jab san 1990 men gulashan kumar (film nirmata) ne is par suryaputra shanidev film banai. tab se shanivar ho ya ravivar, pratidin hajaron ki sankhya men shani bhakt yahan akar svayanbhu shanimurti par tel ka abhishek kiya karte hain. is kshetra ke bare men kahavat prachlit hai- dev hai devalay nahin ghar hai dvar nahin vriksh hai par chaya nahin. 15 fut lanbe, 15 fut chaire v 5 fut unche chabutre par ‘1’ akar ki 5 fut 8 inch lanbi svayanbhu pratima virajman hai. jab bhi bhakton ne yahan mandir, chat v shikhar ka nirman kiya, vah dusri hi ratri ko dhah gaya.
shanidev bhakton se svapn men akar kah gae ki main chayanandan hun, mujhe chaya ki jarurat nahin hai. ab ise shani ki kripa kahen ya mahima, us ganv ke kisi bhi ghar, dukan, dakaghar ya baink men darvaja ya chaikhat nahin hai. logon ki manyata hai ki yahan koi chori nahin kar sakta hai. yadi koi chori karta bhi hai to andha ya korhi hokar fir vapas shani darbar men mafi mangne v amanat lautane ata hai. shani pratima ke pas ek bara vriksh hai, usmen chaya nahin hai.
iske sandarbh men ek pauranik katha hai ki ek bar yahan patthar ki murti bahti hui ai. vahan pashu charane vale gvalon ne lakri se use chera, to jahan lakri ki choten lagin vahan se khun bahne laga. tab bachchon ne apne ghar jakar mata-pita ko yah samachar sunaya aur unke mata-pita ne ganv valon ko ikattha karke murti ko nikalna chaha, par murti kisi se nahin uthi. thakakar sabhi so gae. tab vahan ke prasiddh sachche shani bhakt ‘udasi maharaj’ ke svapn men akar shanidev ji bole- ‘‘main shani hun, kalyug ke kalyan ke lie yahan aya hun.
is ganv men jo bhi mama-bhanja honge, ve vrat karke mujhe sachchi shraddha se uthaenge to main uth jaunga, yahan meri sthapna karo.’’ dusre din aisa hi hua, ek chabutra taiyar karakar shanimurti ko mama bhanje ke sahyog se sthapit kiya gaya. logon ko unki shraddha se falon ki prapti hone lagi, dhire-dhire vahan sari suvidhaen ane lagin. bajar adi ban gae. aj shani amavasya aur shani jayanti parva par lakhon log vahan darshan karke apni shani pira shant karte hain. shani tirth birjhapur is shanidham ki sthapna aprail 1995 men hui. yahan shanidev ke sath rahu-ketu ki ek-ek fut vali do murtiyan bhi hain.
yah sthan durg jile se 30 ki.mi. dur birjhapur ganv men adha ekar ki bhumi men hai. ismen sthapit shani bilkul shignapur ke shani maharaj ji hi lagte hain. yahan sapatnik shani pujan hota hai aur mahilaen bhi akele pujan kar sakti hain. aj bhi prati shanivar, amavasya aur shani jayanti par hajaron bhaktagan yahan ate hain. shani dham sidko san 1999 men maharashtra men en-2 sidko ke pas ek abhishikt murti ke shani mandir v ek sarhe 5 fut ki hathi par savar vishal senapti svarup rajkumar shani murti ka devalay sthapit hua. yahan se 10 ki. mi. ki duri par 4 ekar ki bhumi men shani ashram hai, jiski sthapna 3 sitanbar 2005 ki shanaishchari amavasya ko hui.
bhakton ki barhti bhir ko dekhakar 6 mah ke andar hi vahan maharashtra sarkar dvara shani ashram tak pahunchne vali kachchi sarak ko pakki damar sarak ka rup de diya gaya. bara shanaishvar dham tamilnadu kshetra men pandicheri kshetra se 120 ki. mi. ki duri par tirunallar gram men shani maharaj bara shanaishvar tirth ke rup men raja nal ke samay se virajman hain. raja nal ko jab shani ki dasha ai thi tab nal aur damyanti bichur gae the.
tab damyanti ne apne pati ki vapsi, salamti aur unke khoe hue rajya ki prapti ke lie apne pita ke sahyog se yahan bare shanaishvar ji ka mandir banvaya tha. tiru arthat kshetra, nallar arthat raj nal ka. shanikripa se raja nal ki vapsi hui, unka khoya hua vaibhav unhane mila. is kshetra ke sanbandh men kai ankhon dekhi prernadayi baten prachlit hain. kokila van men shani dham dilli (rajdhani) se 120 ki. mi. ki duri par mathura jile (u. pra.) men mathura se 40 kilomitar ki duri par kosi tahsil men kokilavan gram men shani maharaj bhagvan shri krishn ke dvapar yug se virajman hain.
mukhya kathaon men prasang hai ki jab shani dev shrikrishn bhagvan ke janmotsav par unka bal rup dekhne gae, tab yashoda man ne unhen darshan nahin karne die aur kaha ki tumhara rup dekhakar mera kanha dar jaega. shrikrishn bhagvan jhula torakar, ghutnon ke bal chalakar shanidev ke pas pahunch gae aur man hi man men baten bhi kin- shanidev tum kokilavan men pipal ke niche mera intjar karo, main utsav pura hone par vahan pahunchanuga. ratri 12 baje shrikrishn bhagvan ne shanidev ko darshan die aur kaha ki yahan mere mandir (banke bihari) ke sath tumhara mandir bhi banega.
jo bhakt tumhare darshan ke bad mere darshan karenge, unke sare manorath purn honge. ujjain ke shanidev ji madhyapradesh ujjain men indaur marg par ujjain shahar se 20 kimi. ki duri par navagrah shani mandir hai jiski sthapna shani bhakt raja vikramaditya ne ki thi. ise shani ke dhai dhamon men pura ek dham kaha jata hai. yahan shanidev apne dhaiya v sarhesati rup ke sath virajman hain. nastanapur ke shanidev ji maharashtra ke nasik jile men nandganv tahsil se 15 ki.mi. aur aurangabad se 140 ki.mi. ki duri par shanidev ji ka adha dham sthit hai, jiska ullekh ramayan men milta hai. bhagvan ram ne iski sthapna ki thi.
bhagvan ram jab surya upasna kar rahe the, banvas ke samay, jab vijay prapti ki kamna kar rahe the, tab bhagvan suryadevta ne shani murti (jo dhai fut ki hai aur garur par savar hai) ramji ke hathon men pragat ki thi. pauranik kathaon ke adhar par tab se yahan shanidev ji ki puja hoti hai. ramayan men jo nandanavan tha, vahi aj nandganv kahlata hai. bir ka rakshas bhuvan shri shani kshetra maharashtra ke bir jile se 25 kimi. ki duri par aurangabad - bir haive par rakshas bhuvan ganv men sarak se 8 ki.mi. andar yah shri shani kshetra sthit hai. kahte hain
yahan jab rakshason ka atank barh gaya tha tab, agast rishi ke sahyog se rakshason ka sanhar karne ke lie guru brihaspati devta ke sath bhagvan ram ne shanidev ki murti ki sthapna unke dhaiya v sarhesati donon rupon ke sath ki thi. ganga aur godavri ke madhya pipal ke vishal per ke niche sthit vishal unche chabutre par guru brihaspati devta ke sath shanidev ji virajman hanai .
yahin iske sthapna divas janvri mah ki shukla ashtami ko lakhon bhakton ka mela lagta hai. gvaliyar ka shanaishchara tirth kshetra madhyapradesh ke gvaliyar men gvaliyar havai adda rod se 25 kimi. andar shanaishchara ganv men shani maharaj sthapit hain jahan shanaishchari amavasya ko lakhon padyatri shani pira nivaran ke lie ate hain. yahan ki sthapna bhi bhagvan ram ke kar kamlon dvara mani jati hai. shani tirth kshetra shani maedal maharashtra ke nandurbar jile men dodaicha tahsil se 30 ki.mi. ki duri par yah shani dham sthit hai. kahte hain ki inhin shanidev ji ne vikramaditya ko rank se fir se raja banaya tha aur vikramaditya ke kandhe par pragat huye the.
dilli men chandni chaik sthit shani mandir yah kanch ka bara suhavna mandir hai. is shani murti ki pran pratishtha shastriya vidhi se hui hai. anya grahon ki murtiyan bhi yahan sthapit hain. yahan shanivar ko log tel ka dipak jalate hain. yahan sava kilo chane ka prasad bantna chahie. aisa karne se shani ke kashton se chutkara milta hai. asola shani dham yah shani mandir dilli sthit mahrauli men chatrpur se 5 kilomitar dur asola ganv men sthit hai.
shani ki murti ashtadhatu se bani hai. ek men shani maharaj giddh par savar hain aur dusri murti men bhainse par. yah shani shaktipith aj logon ki astha ka kendra bana hua hai. yahan har shanivar ya shani amavasya ko shraddhalu shani ki murti par tel, urad aur kala vastra charhate hain. logon ko shani ki sarhesati ke karan milne vale kashton ka yahan nivaran hota hai.