The Baba Umer Dargah (Urdu: بابا امر درگاہ) is a famous Islamic shrine in Solapur, India.[1] It is known for a baby throwing ritual, in which infants are dropped from a 15-meter platform onto a cloth held by both Muslim and Hindu men.[2][3] This practice is five to seven hundred years old;[4][2] it is said to originate when a pir "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" and after doing so, "the babies were miraculously cradled to safety in a hammock-like sheet that appeared in midair."[5]
References
edit- ^ "Most Absurd Ritual in India : Throwing Babies From 50 Feet Height". The Times Group. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
Though as chilling as it sounds, this 'baby throwing' ritual is considered absolutely normal at the Baba Umer Dargah, Solapur, Maharashtra. Equally popular among both Hindus and Muslims, the legend has it that this ritual helps baby grow into a strong, healthy person. It has been practised for last 700 years.
- ^ a b "Indian Baby-Dropping Ritual At Baba Umer Durga, A Local Shrine, Is Unreal". The Huffington Post. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
At Baba Umer Durga, a Muslim shrine near Sholapur, India, babies have been tossed off roofs for nearly 700 years, according to a 2009 Associated Press report. Dropping a distance of about 50 feet, the terrified toddlers hurtle through the air before being caught in a sheet held by waiting men. Both Hindu and Muslim parents are reported to participate, believing that the dangerous ritual will ensure good health and prosperity for their families.
- ^ Hyslop, Leah (11 December 2009). "Indian baby tossing ceremony may be banned". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
Baby-throwing rituals have had worldwide attention since August, when an Indian TV crew filmed footage of screaming infants being dropped from a 50 foot temple tower in Haranga, a village in the West Indian state of Maharashtra. A similar custom has been recorded at the Baba Umer Durga shrine in the village of Solapur, about 280 miles south of Mumbai.
- ^ "Villagers throw babies from temple roof". CNN. 1 May 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
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.
- ^ Venkataraman, Ayesha (28 July 2016). "For Babies in India, a 30-Foot Plunge for Good Luck". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 September 2016.