The Thugees of Bharat

[roadrunner]

Can we drop the honor killings now from this thread?

It's on the Thugees of Bharat.

 

[third eye]

Was the Thugee aim to make India a Kali worshipping country?

Thugees worshipped 'Kali', the Hindu goddess of death and destruction. They believed Kali had ordered them to destroy all men who were not of their kindred. Hence, every murder carried out was considered an offering to Kali. Surprisingly, Kali's followers were normally good citizens (many were influential in Indian society) who were also devoted to their families
B is for Burton: Kali, Thugees & the Temple of Doom

No RR,

They were essentially robbers. They survived for so long coz they took advantage of moving from areas under the East India Company to states ruled by local rulers ( some of whom I may add took a cut in the proceedings). In any case communcations were rudimentary then & the land was divided among princely states & areas of EIC.

You could compare them with the highway robbers in Europe or those who held up Wells fargo coaches in the US. The period is approx the same in time - 1800's.

The kali angle was merely coz it served to justify the killings. The victims were buried never cremated. The victims were either strangulated using a ' roomal' or poisioned. The culprits lived under the protection of local zemindars of their home villages & operated in small groups.

The anti thugee operation came to an end around 1833 or thereabouts.

 

[roadrunner]

But are you suggesting no travellers were made into blood sacrfices to the Goddess, Kali?

 

[chindit]

K?l? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

any resemblence to the Kali in Indiana Jones?

 

[DarkStar]

Take your racist bullshit elsewhere. Thanks.

Islamic terrorism can be discussed ad infinitum, but talking about the Thugees is racism and bull ****?

 

[DarkStar]

In any case to waylay travellers of diff religions gangs had to have a mixed composition.

huh?

Why's that? Why can't a gang from the same religion just not rob everybody? I didn't know the thugees were so particular about the religion of the person they're killing.

 

[roadrunner]

From what I can gather, human sacrifice to Kali was commonplace amongst the Thugee. There's two types of sacrifice, 1) Horse sacrfice 2) Human sacrifice. The second one was what was offered to Kali by the Thugee from what I can gather. But it seems non Hindus were not allowed inside the temples.

"The Prushamedha sacrifice translated basically means human sacrifice.
There are similarities between the Prushamedha and the Ashwamedha rituals within Hinduism. How far these two rituals are similar is hard to determine. In the Ashwamedha (Asvamedha) ritual a horse was slain (amongst other elaborate rituals) and the Queen had a sexual union with the dead horse. There is no direct reference to this occurring with a dead human in the Purushamedha (human sacrifice) ritual. There are however texts which do display religious necrophilia behaviour (or rites) between live humans and dead ones within Hinduism but they can not be directly linked to the Purushamedha Sacrifice. The Kalighat temple is located in the center of Kali worship, Calcutta, Bengal. Even up to the 1750's human sacrifice was practiced in this temple, it has been recorded that they would chop off the victims head and offer the head and blood to Kali, non-hindus were not allowed in the temple (though some did sneak in). Today however only goats are killed because human sacrifice was abolished during British rule.

To what extent was the Thugee a religious movement?

Did it morph into some other movement?

 

[roadrunner]

In the Kali Puranas, does it command its Hindu followers to sacrifice non-Kali worshippers in order to appease Kali?

even less known is the fact that this human sacrifice is commanded in the Tantrik book dedicated [to] Kali worship called the "Kali Purana". This article centers on the gruesome practice of human sacrifice. You appease Kali which was the inspiration for the Thugees of India who killed and then sacrificed people will be Kali. The Kali Purana is included in the orthodox canon of "divinely revealed" Hindu scriptural books called the Puranas. A Tantrik Hindu or the normal Hindu can follow this book. Hindu fatalism plays an important role in the mentality behind human sacrifice since these people think they will see the sacrificed person again, i.e. the reincarnation cycle: ... death is certain for the one who is born, and birth is certain for the one who dies. Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable. All beings are unmanifest, or invisible to our physical eyes before birth and after death. They manifest between the birth and the death only. What is there to grieve about? (Bhagavad Gita 2:26-28) This article will begin by citing some modern-day examples of humans sacrifice to Kali and then will show how it was commanded in the Hindu Kali Purana (which is not followed by all Hindus, only by choice by people who want to worship Devi, Durga better known as Kali) but first an explanation of why human sacrifice is performed in various societies ...

 

[third eye]

But are you suggesting no travellers were made into blood sacrfices to the Goddess, Kali?

No, the robberies took place in Caravan Serais / Groves or similar places where travellers camped ( stayed) for the night. Having committed the act, escape from the scene of the crime was essential. In any case to rob a travellers he or his group were to be killed 1st & swiftly too. No sacrifices are made of dead beings .. in any religion.

Why's that? Why can't a gang from the same religion just not rob everybody? I didn't know the thugees were so particular about the religion of the person they're killing.

How easily does a man from S Asia home towards one from the same region when we meet outside the sub continent ? Notwithstanding our probs at home & those expressed here, we bond pretty quickly. Similarly, if a Hindu was to be robbed, the hindu member belonging to the same caste of the gang would approach him & if a muslim was accosted, a muslim would befriend him.



To what extent was the Thugee a religious movement?

Did it morph into some other movement?

It never had any religious undertones as some here suspect or would like to prove it to be. Even today, our highways are not entirely safe, the same thing happened then.

Just as the greeks had Gods for diff events / actions , Kali was the goddess prayed to by the hindu members of these roaming gangs.

 

[roadrunner]

^^Are you suggesting that the Thugee did not make human sacrifices to Kali?

 

[booo]

From what I can gather, human sacrifice to Kali was commonplace amongst the Thugee. There's two types of sacrifice, 1) Horse sacrfice 2) Human sacrifice. The second one was what was offered to Kali by the Thugee from what I can gather. But it seems non Hindus were not allowed inside the temples.

"The Prushamedha sacrifice translated basically means human sacrifice.
There are similarities between the Prushamedha and the Ashwamedha rituals within Hinduism. How far these two rituals are similar is hard to determine. In the Ashwamedha (Asvamedha) ritual a horse was slain (amongst other elaborate rituals) and the Queen had a sexual union with the dead horse. There is no direct reference to this occurring with a dead human in the Purushamedha (human sacrifice) ritual. There are however texts which do display religious necrophilia behaviour (or rites) between live humans and dead ones within Hinduism but they can not be directly linked to the Purushamedha Sacrifice. The Kalighat temple is located in the center of Kali worship, Calcutta, Bengal. Even up to the 1750's human sacrifice was practiced in this temple, it has been recorded that they would chop off the victims head and offer the head and blood to Kali, non-hindus were not allowed in the temple (though some did sneak in). Today however only goats are killed because human sacrifice was abolished during British rule.

To what extent was the Thugee a religious movement?

Did it morph into some other movement?

I dont know where you got that from

When a ruler desired to perform the Ashwamedha, it was the custom for him to let a fine steed with auspicious signs roam freely. An army accompanied the steed to protect it. The rulers of any land which the horse entered greeted the animal respectfully, and conceded the might of the ruler performing Aswamedha, by offering tributes. But if any ruler checked the horse, the accompanying army had to fight with and overcome him, compel him to pay a tribute. And then they would lead the horse to another kingdom. Only such a conqueror of the world had the right to perform the Ashwamedha. Dasharath sent forth his steed to roam at will.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad

 

[chindit]

^^Are you suggesting that the Thugee did not make human sacrifices to Kali?

maybe they did. so what?

 

[PakmanUSA]

I remember seeing something on the History Channel here in the USA about this. The English captured those behind the acts of murder and forbid the religion if I recall.

 

[roadrunner]

maybe they did. so what?

Then it would suggest there was a hardcore element of fanatics that did this for religious purposes in order to appease the Goddess, Kali. This would be identified as the Thugee, the rest would be petty theives.

 

[roadrunner]

I dont know where you got that from


Vishwa Hindu Parishad

The Aswanedha comes from the story of Rama on the pavillion steps of the Ganges River.

The Queen was required to "lay behind a curtain" with the sacrificed horse after it was over. Some people deny this now, but this appears to be where that highlighted bit comes from.