Pankot Palace

Pankot Palace was the capital building of the province of Pankot, India. In addition to being the seat of government, it was the home for the Maharajah Zalim Singh.^[1]

The palace was built on the top of a mount known as the "wounded" or "bleeding" mountain, so named for its subterranean volcanic activity that left boiling pools and sulfurous fumes in its cave systems. The mount was located above a tropical valley, and not far from a murky but crocodile-infested tributary of the Ganges River.^[2]

The palace's interiors included the Royal Stables and exotic menagerie of animals and birds maintained in the palace's inner courtyard.^[3]

Below the palace was a temple that the Thuggee cult used during sacrifices and where they kept their slaves.^[1]

History[]

Constructed over the remains of a large Thuggee temple dedicated to Kali,^[4] Pankot Palace was abandoned and left deserted in 1850,^[1] as the Pankot Principality effectively ceased to exist as a political entity.^[3]

Prior to 1930, Mola Ram, one of the last High Priests of Kali left in the world,^[3] emigrated from Bengal to Pankot^[2] with his followers^[3] in search of three Sankara Stones.^[2] With two already in his possession, Ram believed all five would empower the Thuggee to destroy their British persecutors and establish his goddess Kali Ma's reign on Earth.^[1] Mola Ram found a powerful ally in Chattar Lal, the Prime Minister of the palace.^[1] Ram poisoned Pankot's ruler, Maharaja Premjit Singh and with Lal's help, subdued the heir Zalim. The pair restored the palace's long-neglected Kali temple, to show the power of Kali to all who looked upon the structure.^[3] To search for the remaining Sankara Stone the Thuggee abducted children from the village^[1] of Mayapore^[3] to dig the Stones underneath the caves.^[2]

Mola Ram's plans were thrown into disarray in 1935 by the American archaeologist Indiana Jones and his companions Willie Scott and Short Round who were brought to India following a plane crash. Indy's action brought the death of Mola Ram, the liberation of the Maharaja, the end of the Thuggee sect and the liberation of the Mayapore children.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

In the beginning, the Pankot Palace set would be in the Amber Fort that it was unsuccessful due to disagreements with the Indian government.^[5]^[6] So the producers had to make the palace on their own in Sri Lanka with mattes and the set in studio.^[7]

Appearances[]

Non-canonical appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook
↑ The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
↑ "Robert Watts: The one I liked best was the Amber Palace in Jaipur that we were gonna use as the palace. I then began the negotiations with the Indian government for permission. They have to vet the script. They began to ask for all these changes in script. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy
↑ "Robert Watts: I told George that I getting an awful lot of trouble out if the Indian government about the script. I'd done everything. I discussed it with George. We' set it in principality on the border of India, so it wasn't actually India, all this stuff. In the end, they said, You can't use the word Maharajah I said, I've had enough of this. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy
↑ "Robert Watts: I told George, I've found everything in Sri Lanka but the Maharajah's place. How about some nice matte shots and we build the courtyard on the lot? We're shooting the interior in the studio anyway. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 ^1.5 ^1.6 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

[:1-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide

[:2-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 ^3.5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook

[4] The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones

[5] "Robert Watts: The one I liked best was the Amber Palace in Jaipur that we were gonna use as the palace. I then began the negotiations with the Indian government for permission. They have to vet the script. They began to ask for all these changes in script. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy

[6] "Robert Watts: I told George that I getting an awful lot of trouble out if the Indian government about the script. I'd done everything. I discussed it with George. We' set it in principality on the border of India, so it wasn't actually India, all this stuff. In the end, they said, You can't use the word Maharajah I said, I've had enough of this. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy

[7] "Robert Watts: I told George, I've found everything in Sri Lanka but the Maharajah's place. How about some nice matte shots and we build the courtyard on the lot? We're shooting the interior in the studio anyway. - Indiana Jones: Making the Trilogy

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