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| May 5, 2021 |
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Ignoring
Clint Eastwood's advice in "Dirty Harry" that
opinions, like certain body parts, are best kept to
yourself.
 "That's
part of your problem, you haven't seen enough movies. All of
life's riddles are answered in the movies."
-
Steve Martin in "Grand
Canyon" 1991
Portrayed in movies
like ''Indiana Jones'' and ''Gunga Din'', the Thuggees
killed millions of unsuspecting travelers in India as a
tribute to their goddess Kali.
An interesting
thing about the "Indiana Jones" movies, they are
based on a lot of fact. Hitler really was obsessed with the
occult, and ancient stories, like the Arch of the Covenant,
and those ideas were woven into Steven Spielberg's films.
Movie fans probably thought the Thuggees of India were
fictional in "Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Doom", but they were very
real.
A
2007 article by Christopher Putnam tells the story.
From
the article:
Their extreme secrecy combined
with their mastery of murder made the Thugs the
deadliest secret society in all of history. In the early
19th century they were credited with 40,000 deaths
annually, stretching back as far as anyone cared to
count. Some estimates put the overall death toll as high
as 2 million, but with the cult potentially operating
for more than 500 years before formal records were kept,
the true number is impossible to determine.
At
its root, the word “Thuggee” means “deceivers,”
and this name hints at the methods employed by the cult.
Bands of Thugs traveled across the country posing as
pilgrims, merchants, soldiers, or even royalty, in
groups numbering anywhere from a few men to several
hundred. Offering protection or company, they would
befriend fellow travelers and slowly build their
confidence along the road.
Often the impostors
would journey for days and hundreds of miles with their
intended victims, patiently waiting for an opportunity
to strike. When the time was right, typically while
their targets were encamped and at their most relaxed, a
signal would be given — reportedly “Bring
the tobacco” — and the Thugs would spring. |
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My family and friends know how much I like movies,
my youngest daughter once wrote a stage play about a
disfunctional family with VHS and DVD movies stacked all
over the house, and everything the father said was a quote
from a movie.
To which I replied to her, after
reading it, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
Please
visit
my
travel blog to learn more about my life on the road.
Global
Air Aviation Referral Service
I welcome
responses, and will be glad to post them here. Email your
remarks to
ron@global-air.com |
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