What is "shani"

Shani (, ) refers to planet Saturn, and is one of the Navagraha in Hindu astrology. The planet is depicted as a male deity in the Puranas, whose iconography consists of a dark (black) figure carrying a sword (or another weapon) and sitting on a buffalo (or crow or vulture). He is considered inauspicious, a deity who gets mad easily and one who takes thorough revenge for whatever made him upset. In medieval Hindu literature, inconsistent mythologies sometimes refer to him as the son of Sun and Chayya (shadow), or as the son of Balarama and Revati; his alternate names include 'Ara, Kona' and Kroda.

Shani is the basis for Shanivara – one of the seven days that make a week in the Hindu calendar. This day corresponds to Saturday – after Saturn – in the Greco-Roman convention for naming the days of the week. The zodiac and naming system of Hindu astrology likely developed in the centuries after the arrival of Greek astrology with Alexander the Great, their zodiac signs being nearly identical. Technical horoscopes and astrology ideas in India came from Greece, states Nicholas Campion, and developed in the early centuries of the 1st millennium CE.

Shani is worshipped by some to dispel dangerous ghosts and other supernatural beings. The fig tree called Pipal is considered by some Hindus to be the abode of Shani (while other Hindus associate the same tree with Vasudeva).

In 2013, a 20-foot-tall statue of Lord Shani was established at Yerdanur in the mandal of Sangareddy, Medak district, nearly 40 kilometers from Hyderabad city. It was carved from a monolith and weighs about nine tonnes.

In some texts, Shani has nothing to do with planet Saturn or a Puranic deity, but is another name of the more ancient Hindu god Shiva.

Shani is a berry-flavored soft drink produced by PepsiCo. It is sold and marketed outside the United States. The drink is popular in the Middle East.

Category:PepsiCo brands Category:Soft drinks

Shani may refer to:

• Aerodyne Shani, a French two-pace paraglider design
• Śani, one of the Navagraha
• Seni, an ancient Egyptian viceroy of Kush
• Shani, one of the Navagraha (the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology)
• a Pakistani toponym:
  • Shani Peak is a mountain in the south of Naltar Pass in the Gilgit District of Northern Areas of Pakistan
  • Shani Glacier is a glacier in the north of Shani Peak in Naltar Valley, Pakistan.
• a first name
  • Shani Bloch (born 1979), Israeli Olympic racing cyclist
  • Shani Davis (born 1982), American speed skater
  • Shani Mootoo (born 1958), Canadian writer
  • Shani Wallis (born 1933), English actress and singer
  • Shani Arshad , Pakistani musician
• a surname
  • Michael Shani, is a well-known figure in the Israeli musical scene.
  • Mordechai Shani, Director General of the Sheba Medical Center and 2009 Israel Prize recipient.
  • Ehud Shani (born 1957), general in the Israel Defense Forces and currently Head of C4I and Senior Field Commander
  • Shaul Shani (born c. 1955), Israeli billionaire businessman and investor.
• Shani (drink)
• Livne, an Israeli settlement also known as Shani
• Shani, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Kano State