The Murder Cult of IndiaOriginating from the middle ages, the Thuggee were a cult devoted to the Hin

The Murder Cult of IndiaOriginating from the middle ages, the Thuggee were a cult devoted to the Hindu goddess Kali.  According to Thuggee belief, Kali was a bloodthirsty goddess of extreme power who desired human sacrifice, lest she destroy the world.  Of course, there wasn’t exactly a long line of volunteers for human sacrifice, so the Thuggee resorted to unwilling victims.Typically the Thuggee would pose as ordinary people, such as merchants, pilgrims, soldiers, and other travelers.  Travel throughout India at the time was often dangerous due to wild animals and outlaws, so it was wise to travel in groups.  A group of Thuggee would get to know a traveler (or travelers) and offer to keep company for protection.  As they traveled, sometimes for hundreds of miles, the Thuggee would gain the trust of the traveler.  Biding their time, they struck when the moment was right, typically in a secluded area far from civilization.  Being highly experienced in their murderous art, the Thuggee typically had foreknowledge of the route, knowing where the best ambush points were, where the best escapes routes were, and where the best hiding places for bodies were located.When the victim least expected it, the Thuggee would jump the victim and murder him (killing women was forbidden by the Thuggee).  Thuggee religion forbid the actual spilling of blood, so the time honored bloodless technique of garroting the victim to death was used.  The Thuggee worked together as a disciplined team, with one acting as a look out, another providing a distraction for the victim, others tasked to restrain the victim, while one honored Thuggee had the duty of strangling the victim to death with a silk scarf.  Once the murder was complete, the Thuggee would bury the body while offering up a sacrifice of sugar.  A portion of valuables stolen from the victim would also be offered to Kali.  Thuggee membership was for life, and was hereditary only.  Typically the career of a Thuggee began at age ten, when the new member was permitted to witness their first murder.  When a Thuggee came of age, he received the rank of “strangler” and was entrusted with the duty of committing murder for Kali.The end of the Thuggee cult came when the British gained near total control over India in the early 19th century.  In the 1830’s British officials formed the “Thuggee and Dacoity Department” with the goal of rooting out and exterminating the Thuggee.  To head the department, an experienced British soldier named Sir William Henry Sleeman was chosen.  Sleeman observed and uncatalogued the modus operandi of the Thuggee and used their own tactics against them.  His men would often pose as travelers, tricking the Thuggee into believing they were victims ripe for the killing.  When the Thuggee would strike, the tables would be turned against them as they were ambushed and captured.  The captured Thuggee would then be interrogated, often turning “Kings evidence” against other Thuggee.  Within a few years the Thuggee cult had been crippled by the British. By the end of the 19th century the Thuggee were declared extinct.  The legacy of the Thuggee runs deeply in modern day pop culture, being the enemy of Indiana Jones in the film Temple of Doom.  The Thuggee are also where we derive the word ”thug”commonly used to describe a violent and merciless criminal. -- source link

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