Bizarre Indian Ritual – Baby Tossing

India is an enigmatic land of different culture and religions. It is also home to some of the ancient civilisations on earth. And not-so-ironically, it is also a place where some of old rituals took birth. While some of the religious rituals backed by logic and shastras are popular and practised across India, there remain a few which are quite unexplainable and outright bizarre. These are often practised locally and signify regional beliefs and faith. One such practise is Baby Tossing.

Dated almost 700 years back, the ritual finds it origin at Baba Umer Dargah, a Muslim shrine near Sholapur, Maharashtra. Similar custom is also known to be followed at Sri Santeswar temple near Indi in Karnataka. Since ages this ritual is practised by both Hindus and Muslims alike in different parts of both states, especially rural areas. Most children who are tossed are less than two years. It is believed that the couples who are blessed with children only after praying at the shrine of Baba Umer Dargah usually partakes in this ritual for tossing their new-born child. Ironically, such a practise doesn’t bear any local name.

The controversial ritual begins with a devotee climbing high roof-tops of the shrines with a baby in his arms. The height of the roof-tops from where the ritual is carried out may vary from 30 to 50 feet. Once the devotee reaches the top, he hands over the baby to few men waiting to carry out the task. Often these men are local priests and their disciples. The priest and other men hold the baby out over the edge of the roof. They shake and swing the baby rigorously, to supposedly ward-off any fear and evil, all the while chanting phrases to please god to bless this child. And suddenly, without any hesitation, the baby is released from the grasp of the priest. Free-falling, the baby lands on a blanket held tight by a group of 10 to 15 men at the ground. Immediately the baby is picked up and passed around for the blessing before returning to the mother. This ritual is carried out on the premise of a belief that it brings good luck, health and prosperity to the child.

So far, there haven’t been any reported incidents of accidents or mishaps. And as the case may be with most odd rituals, Baby Tossing continues to still exist in these parts of India as a result of people’s unwavered blind faith.

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Bizarre Indian Rituals – Fire Walking

India – a land of diverse and rich culture, a land of old traditions and mythical legends, a land where thousands of rituals are performed, many with reasons, many for faith. While some of the ancient rituals have died over a period of time, there are few which are still carried out even today in its true spirit with faith and lot of enthusiasm. One such ritual is Fire Walking, wherein people walk barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones.

Fire walking is an ancient ritual that dates back to the Iron Age India. As such, it is practiced in many cultures across the globe. However, in India, we can witness the faith it carries and the religious significance in Thimithi festival which is celebrated in South India.  It’s an emblem of victory of Pandavas over Kauravas in Mahabharata.

The legendary epic tells the saga of great Draupadi, wherein she was tormented and humiliated by her brother-in-laws in the King’s court. Although, she was rescued by Lord Krishna, she vowed to tie her hair only once she had washed them with the blood of Duryodhana – her brother-in-law. Ultimately Kauravas were defeated in the battle of Mahabharata and Draupadi could fulfil her vow. Once the war was over she walked through the bed of fire to prove her chastity and came out unharmed, glowing as a morning dew. The festival of fire walking is observed in her honour to remember her suffering while on the path of righteousness.

During celebration of Thimithi Festival, various scenes from Mahabharata are enacted. A week before the actual fire walking, the male devotees begin offering puja and prayers to Goddess. The grand prayer is held on the day of the festival, urging the goddess to shower her blessings upon her loyal devotees. In the evening, the male devotees walk through the fire bed which is prepared and kept burning through the night. People believe that if you are a true devotee of Draupadi, you will come out of fire unharmed.

Fire walking is also considered as a test of one’s courage and strength and his ability to focus on mind over matter. Many social theorists believed that such bizarre rituals persist in India as they serve the function of social cohesion or team building. A research suggests that such collective religious rituals thrive on physiological foundation. They align the emotional states of the ritual performers and in turn strengthens group dynamics. It is for such reasons that fire walking today is practiced in self-help workshops for confidence building and in corporate for team building.

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Bizarre Indian Rituals

Bizarre Indian Rituals

Ray, an American by nationality, has just had the best holiday ever. It was his trip to India where he attended a colleague’s wedding which was a seven day affair. But he was surprised by the quirky rituals that were involved in the wedding. The cultural gap was more of a shock to him. But Ray isn’t the only one who has found the Indian rituals weird. Every culture and country has some strange traditions that they follow; but India absolutely takes the cake when it comes to unique ways and techniques to please god or save themselves from ill omens.

India is a huge landmass with variety of cultures religions and people who firmly believe in their ancestral traditions. We Indians have traditions for each and every occasion - wedding, funeral, birthday etc. This practice of Indian rituals has been going on for centuries. Earlier it was sati, a practice where the wife would die with the burning pyre of the husband.

But even though now that horrendous ritual has been banned from India, still we have many others in different parts of our country. A tradition in Maharashtra and Karnataka believes in tossing a new born from their house roof to the bed kept below. It signifies that the kid will be able to face all the problems of life. Another ritual that is highly common in Himachal Pradesh, the land of Temples that the devotees reach the temples by rolling down the whole road, showing their penance and hoping god would grant their wish. People actually get married to animals - a black dog, frog or even also ant etc, to lift of the curse of manglik. Manglik is a person who’s Saturn and Mars collide in kundali, making it hard to find perfect match.

Other rituals that include animals are more health hazardous. For instance, in Madhya Pradesh people dress up cows who are considered goddess in Hindu mythology and free them while lying on their way so that they can trample on humans. This ritual symbolizes that the devotees are always in the feet of their lord. In Tamil Nadu, a day after Pongal, a Bull Fighting contest is held between a bull and a man. It goes on till either one of the contestants die. It signifies the male power and strength if the man is victorious.

Even our wedding rituals are quirky - be it the tradition of the mother-in-law pulling the nose of her future son-in-law or the ever popular stealing the shoes of the groom, only to give it back in return of money, or the ceremony of finding the ring in water.

India is in every sense the land of brave and the strange. The faith Indians hold for their culture and religion is salute worthy. Maybe that is one of the reasons why it truly is Incredible India!

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