India to ban baby-tossing ritual...

Authorities in southern India plan to ban an age-old ritual that sees babies tossed from the top of a nine-metre temple, officials said Friday.

Every first week of December in a rural district in the state of Karnataka, villagers drop babies from the top of a Hindu temple onto a blanket held by a crowd below, amid dancing and singing.

Thousands of people assembled on Wednesday at the temple near Indi in the district of Bijapur to witness the event, which is said to confer good health and a long life on the baby and bring prosperity to the family.

But the centuries-old tradition has fallen foul of local authorities. More...

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