Perhaps a tribal chief in some fertile valley
found that during the idle time between crops, his people would become lazy. So
he started the custom that during the idle season he would take them out to the
riverside at sunrise and conduct a series of calisthenics exercises. As time
passed, innovations were made and the calisthenics were combined with songs and
chants. After the death of that particular chief, the practice was abandoned
and forgotten. Many years later, drought and famine hit the valley and people
started wondering why the calamity had befallen them. Sooner or later, somebody
remembered that in the good old days of chief so and so they used to assemble
by the river and greet the Sun with chants and rituals. In desperation, the
practice was revived though in a modified form reconstructed from memory and
conducted with a totally different spirit. Simply by coincidence the drought
ended, but those people were convinced that the Sun was pleased with them and
had changed things for them.
So started the religion of Sun-worship, and
spread with local innovations; and the resolve of those who practiced it may
have been strengthened by the ridicule of others. Perhaps, most worship rituals
are meant to demonstrate a resolve that one has the moral strength to be
oneself in spite of the ridicule or contempt of others.
Now let us consider how idolatry may have
started. Somewhere in a river plane there was a village where people lived on
agriculture and farming. Once in a few years the river would overflow its banks
and cause flooding. Normally, on the first signs of approaching flood the
villagers would move out to safer grounds with their valuables and cattle and
return when the waters receded, repair their homes and life would continue with
the land having become more fertile. One year, due to reasons not known to them
there was a flash flood and water rose so quickly that the villagers could not
move to safety and many cattle were washed away and children and infirm people
drowned. When they recovered from the shock of the tragedy, a wise man among
them suggested building a podium in the middle of the village large enough to
accommodate the whole population and their cattle with stairs all around to
facilitate quick sheltering. On top of the podium they also built a house where
food and other supplies were kept for use in emergencies. The trusted wise man
was also housed there as the custodian. The podium gradually became the centre
of local educational and political activities and every year after harvesting
the crops a feast would be held to consume the old food stock and replenish it
with new stock. The village became safe and prosperous. After a few years the
wise old man died and as a tribute the villagers placed his statue in the
podium house and people would pay tributes to him by garlanding the statue at
every annual feast. In due course people from other villages came to learn the
secret of our model village and went back and built similar podia with temple
and statue that was considered the guardian of the village. Imaginative minds
made up all sorts of stories to impress other visitors.
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