Book Review: The Thugs Or Phansigars of India by Sir William Henry Sleeman

The Thugs Or Phansigars of India, Comprising a History of the Rise and Progress of that Extraordinary Fraternity of Assassins; and a Description of the System which it Pursues, and of the Measures which Have Been Adopted by the Supreme Government of India for Its Suppression  Philadelphia, 1839  

 

 About 448 pages, at google.com.

In the fifteenth century, a cult of murder and robbery arose out of a synthesis of Islam and Hinduism. Cult members believed they were under the special protection and direction of the goddess Kali, and that being under the direction of Kali meant they had no choice but to obey, even if the directions were against prohibitions in the Koran.  The Cult of Thugee conveniently gave cult members an excuse and a reason to murder and rob vast numbers of innocent travelers.

For over three centuries the Cult of Thugee murdered and robbed with near immunity. Robbery was almost always a result of murder. Murder was almost always of people with no prior knowledge of the cult members. It has been estimated that two million people were murdered by cult members before the cult was irradicated by the British administration in India, from about 1828 to 1850.

Almost all of the people murdered by Thugee cult members were travelers far from home. Most of the people in India traveled on foot during this period. 

The Cult was discovered by the English in the 1820s, but it was not until about 1828 that the British administration in India came to understand the extent of the cult, and the need to devise a sub-continent wide, co-ordinated response.

Much of the book is from Sir William Henry Sleeman's interviews of Thugs who were captured and turned into cooperators with the English prosecutors rather than face death.  Many Thugs preffered to be executed rather than reveal the names of their fellow cult members.

Because Thugee operated in highly organized groups, there were multiple witnesses to multiple murders, making cross references of testimony form individual Thugs held appart, very  persuasive evidence. Physical evidence3 in terms of recovered bodies in mass graves at select campsites along the roads further confirmed the testimony of the Thug "approvers", as those who cooperated were called.

The book is broken into several sections.

 Pages 1- 227 cover a history of Thugee, some terms, and numerous recounting of some of the notorious murders and practices of the Thugee Cult, and the variations within the cult.

The style of the book is relatively unemotional, in a "just the facts" sort of fashion. The subject matter makes much of the work fascinating reading. The cataloging of Thug terms for their private, criminal use, and the numerous omens that guided the practice of their murderous cult are interesting, but can be skipped with little loss of cohesion.

The second part restarts page numbering at page 1. The first 35 pages, include another History of the Thugs or Phansigars by Sleeman it has many different details that the first part of the volumn. There is an extensive interview with numerous Thug prisoners, ending in 1839

Page 35  to page 112 is a glossary of Thug terms, with extensive explanations of omens and practices. While the glossary can be skipped, there is much interesting detail in it.

The last part of the book, from page 113 on to page 228,  consists of correspondence between then Captain Sleeman and Mr. Stockwell, that details trials of Thugs, and gives the detail used in the trials and gathering of evidence.  Numerous detailed accounts of the Thugs procedures for murdering their victims are recorded.

Numerous pieces of correspondence are included.

The details in this factual account of British administration in India contain numerous place names and dates that are necessary, but detract from easy reading.

A wonderful and labor intensive exercise would be to create maps on which all the place names, roads, rivers, villages and cities were accurately designated.

Such a map would add much to the reader's understanding.

The reading of "The Thugs" was worth while as a means of understanding human nature. The Thugs did not feel shame or regret or concern for their numerous victims. The thrill of the hunt and kill were so great, it was said that a Thug gave up Thugee only with great difficulty.  Murder and robbery were addictive.

I highly recommend this book to any student of history.

"Thug culture" has its etymological origins in the cult of Thugee, which used to exist in the Indian subcontinent. The Thugs did not value human life outside of their circle. Humans who were not Thugs were merely prey, to be murdered and robbed with efficiency, as a religious duty, and as sport. Thugs would attempt to befriend travelers until the most advantageous circumstance were arranged. Then they would murder whole groups with ruthless efficiency.

One of the great achievements of British rule in India was the eradication of  Thugee.

For those who wish to avoid several hundred pages of the original, a superb condensation of the work is available. 

How the British Broke the Thugs of India is only a few pages long. 

The condensed version should be required reading for every school child. 

 
©2019 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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