Pankot Palace
The sinister stronghold above the Temple of Doom.
Pankot Palace is the palace of the young Maharaja Zalim Singh, ruler of Pankot State in India, which the Thuggee priest Mola Ram has made his lair. Featured prominently in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, this location acts as the initial hub for the protagonists upon their arrival in the region. Beneath it, enslaved children mine catacombs for the remaining Sankara stones and for gems to fund Mola Ram's cause. It is strategically positioned directly above the secret entrance to the subterranean Temple of Doom, linking the political intrigue on the surface with the ritualistic horrors below.
Quick Facts
- Affiliation
- Thuggee Cult
- First appears
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Lore & Background
When Jones, Willie and Short Round arrive, they are warmly welcomed and stay the night as guests at a banquet hosted by the young maharaja; the Prime Minister, Chattar Lal, is offended by Indy's questions about the palace's history. That night Jones discovers a series of tunnels underneath the palace and explores them with Willie and Short Round, finding a temple and a complex of mines where Thuggee cultists conduct a human sacrifice. The British officer Captain Blumburtt, who is often sent to inspect the palace, later arrives with his troops to deal with the remaining Thuggees.
Reader's Guide
Roshan Seth, who played Chattar Lal, said the palace banquet scene was a joke that went wrong. Pat Roach plays the Thuggee overseer of the enslaved children in the mines under the palace.
Did You Know?
- Children were forced into labor in the mine accessible through this location.
- Children taken from the village of Mayapore were said to be taken by evil forces from the nearby Pankot Palace.
More in Locations & Expeditions
Elsewhere in Indiana Jones
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