The Unlikely Origins Of The Word "Thug"

[malthaussen]

8. The thugs were a religious sect.

Worshippers of Kali, among whose avatars are deception and death. Killing and robbing travellers was a religious ritual. Of course, as always happens with these things, the number of people who claimed to be Thugs but were really just opportunistic highwaymen is probably very high.

In the film "Gunga Din," the Indian leader exhorts his men to "Kill for the love of Kali."

The sect was officially wiped out by the Raj over a several-decade period. Apparently they did a fair job of it, since the sect has not had any recorded resurgence.

-- Mal