Koeferl- Harrison Ford's apotheosis on the bridge

Indiana Jones is trapped- enemies are closing in on him from both sides of the bridge. This represents the two paths that he can take. We do not yet know whether he will try to sell the stones or give them back to the village people (he still has all three stones). Back in the temple, Jones throws a rock at one of the Thuggee in an attempt to help the children. As he's escaping the temple, he makes the decision to rescue the children as well as themselves. Although he cares for the children, we know that he also cares about his fortune and glory. On the bridge, we know that Indie is going to try to survive one way or the other, but it is not until he accesses the power of the stones that he understands the significance of the religion. He realized that the remaining stone was more important to these villagers than to anyone else (even himself!).

Theology and religious beliefs are rhyming elements in the Indiana Jones series. In both Temple of Doom and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indie is confronted with religious artifacts and until the end of each of these films, he doesn't believe in any "mumbo jumbo" spiritual beliefs. An apotheosis is the "exaltation of a subject to a divine level". In the end of the bridge scene of Temple of Doom, Indie comes to believe in the power of the stones, and actually uses them to cast the antagonist into the crocodile-infested ravine. In that moment, Indiana Jones experiences an apotheosis and reaches a godlike level.

It might seem like Indie used the stones only to survive and not because he actually believed in the stones' power or in any religion (this is what I thought at first). However, he wouldn't have been able to use the stones if he wanted to keep them for himself or if he was planning to turn them in for personal wealth or glory. If that were the case, he wouldn't have truly believed in the religion. Indie was able to overcome the priest because the priest had betrayed Shiva, and Indie was trying to return the stones to the village. He was fighting for the right reasons, and the priest wanted the stones for the wrong reasons. He could use the stones only because he believed in the power of the religion.