India’s Religious Death Cult

They terrorized India for centuries

A Chromolithograph of Kali by Raja Ravi Varma, c. late nineteenth century (Wikimedia Commons)

India was plagued by a religious death cult for more than six-hundred years. The practice was known as thuggee, and those who participated were known as thugs. Given the longevity of the movement, hundreds of thousands lost their lives to this barbaric practice. Yet, the most unsettling aspect of the thugs wasn't their death count, it was the method they used to kill their victims.

Kali and the origins of the cult

The origins of thuggee come from Kali — a Hindu goddess.

Image of Kali by Richard B. Godfrey, c. eighteenth century (Wikimedia Commons)

In Hinduism, Kali has many dimensions. She symbolises the energy of the universe, for instance, which means she both maintains and takes away life, and she is also the goddess of time.

According to one myth, a gigantic monster known as Rakth Beej was slain by Kali. However, with each drop of blood he shed, another demon arose. Kali then created two men who destroyed the demons by strangulation which stopped the cycle of bloodshed.

There’s also another myth where Kali simply summoned her followers and demonstrated a specific method of killing: strangulation…