Villagers throw babies from temple roof
Pastor Dale Morgan
Villagers throw babies from temple roof*
* Story Highlights
* For 500 years worshippers throw babies from a tower to crowds below
* The infants land and bounce on a bed-sheet held taut by men 50
feet below
* Ritual practiced by Muslims, Hindus in the district of Solapur,
Maharashtra, W India
* Worshippers say no baby has ever been hurt but critics want the
practice banned
(CNN) -- In a religious ritual that would terrify most mothers, Indian
villagers have cheered as screaming babies were dropped from a 50-foot
temple tower.
For 500 years, worshippers at a Muslim shrine in western India have
continued the tradition -- a rite considered to bring good health and
good luck to the children.
The infants land and bounce on a bed-sheet held taut by men 50 feet
below, and are quickly passed through the crowd to their mothers.
Villagers say no babies have been injured during the ritual, which is
practiced by Muslims and Hindus in Musti village in the district of
Solapur, in the state of Maharashtra. Video Watch worshippers throw
babies from tower. »
It also takes place elsewhere in the country, mostly in smaller
villages, on special occasions.
Parents who want their infants to participate in the event first take a
vow at the Baba Sheikh Umar Saheb Dargah, or temple. Villagers say the
ritual is a way of giving thanks.
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But critics want the practice banned, with many saying it's unsafe.
"The state has to interfere," said Sanal Edamaruku, founder and
president of Rationalist International and the Indian Rationalist
Association. The group supports secularism and freedom of expression.