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"You don't believe me? You will, Dr. Jones. You will become a true believer."
―Mola Ram[src]
Indy controlled by Kali

Indiana Jones falls victim to the Black Sleep.

The Black Sleep of the Kali Ma was a trance a person fell under if they drank the Blood of Kali. After drinking the blood, the victim would be put in a room surrounded by burning candles until the Black Sleep took over their mind. It was described as if being in a nightmare, unable to wake. Those under the influence of the Black Sleep were mindlessly, unswervingly loyal to Kali and the Thuggee cause, as well as being highly obedient to Mola Ram.[1]

The means of bringing a person out of the Black Sleep was to induce enough pain to snap them out of it; the pain experienced from a burn was sufficeint enough to free a victim. Once snapped out of the trance, the victim was completely aware of their actions and experiences while under the effects of the Blood of Kali.[1] Other ways that were able to free victims from the Black Sleep included immersion in water and electrical shock.[2]

Notable victims[]

Behind the scenes[]

During the development of the script for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, it was written that the Black Sleep of Kali Ma gave the people who drank it glowing yellow eyes, such as the Thuggee assassin,[3] but the idea was dropped from the final picture.[1]

Early drafts also had the burning Sankara Stones actually release Mola Ram from the Black Sleep before he falls to his death, hinting that he may not have been in control of his actions.[3] Although this implication was cut from the film itself, it was retained in James Kahn's novelization[4] and Marvel Comics' comic book adaptation.[5]

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: A Tale of High Adventure notes that Chattar Lal had an "evil light" in his eyes while trying to stop Indiana Jones from rescuing Willie Scott,[6] but both the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook and Marshal College's entry on him indicate that Lal joined the Thuggee cult of his own volition.[7][8]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

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