What’s the craziest thing your religion has made you do?
It is bewildering what people can do for their beliefs without even thinking about the consequence.
In India, there has been the tradition of both Hindus and Muslims willingly allow priests to throw their newly born children from the roof of a temple to be caught in a stretched bedsheet about 30 feet below.
When the child drops, it is returned to the parent waiting anxiously among a cheering crowd. The throwing goes on until there is no baby to throw anymore.
The ritual, long popular in Maharashtra and Karnataka States, dates back almost 700 years, to a time when infant mortality was high, medical knowledge was scant and families had few places to turn for help.
Legend has it that a saint advised people whose babies were dying to build a shrine and drop the ailing infants from the roof to show their trust in the almighty.
When they did so, the story goes, the babies were miraculously cradled to safety in a hammock-like sheet that appeared in midair.
From then on, prayers for the birth of a healthy baby in the region have included a promise to toss the baby as an offering to the god who granted the prayers.
Villagers believe even in the 21st century that the ritual brings the child long life and good luck, and maintain that it does no harm.
In 2019, the practice came under fire when videos of the children being thrown at a shrine in Solapur went viral.
The disturbing video prompted the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to intervene. The commission investigated and ordered that the baby-tossing be stopped.
“We do not support this superstitious practice,” said G. Mohanty, a media adviser at the commission.
“It is against the interest of the children. They may be really scared, and nobody knows how it affects their psyche.”
However, in some small villages in India, the practice still continues, including in Mangasuli, where the Lord Khandoba, an avatar of Shiva, is worshiped by Hindus as the deity of the family.
“The practice continues throughout the year, and babies are tossed within two months of being born, come rain or shine — it’s tradition,” said Javed Fardin Akhtar, a resident of the nearby city of Sangli who said he witnessed the ritual in Mangasuli.
Even with the advent of religion and western education, some parents still allow their children to be tossed from the roof of a building without fear.
