The Cursed Tomb of The Man Who Killed 1000s of Elephants Gets Struck By Lightning!
In the mid-19th century, a British officer named Major Thomas William Rogers left a controversial legacy in Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). He was credited with killing more elephants than any other person in the country’s history. Some reports claim that he has killed over 1,400 and others suggest the number could be as high as 2,000. This gruesome record led to a haunting twist of fate. Major Rogers was struck down by lightning, a death that many locals believed was the result of a curse. The eerie events surrounding his life and death still continue as his tombstone gets damaged by frequent lightning strikes.
The Beginning of a Deadly Journey
Major Rogers arrived in Ceylon in 1824, joining the Ceylon Regiment as a 2nd Lieutenant. Over the years, he rose through the ranks, becoming a Captain and eventually the Assistant Government Agent at Badulla in 1834. Although he was known for his administrative skills—building rest houses, tracing roads, and maintaining civil and military buildings—he became infamous for his relentless elephant hunting.
During the early 19th century, the Uva province in Ceylon was overrun with wild animals, particularly elephants. These animals often destroyed crops, leading the local people to welcome hunters like Rogers, who could help protect their fields. However, Rogers’s hunting soon turned from a means of protection into an obsession.
Within 11 years of living in Uva, Rogers had killed over 1,400 elephants, including more than 60 tuskers—elephants with large, valuable tusks. His house was filled with ivory, with massive tusks adorning his verandah and dining room. Rogers’s colleagues, including other European coffee planters, eventually condemned his actions as indiscriminate slaughter rather than sport. The locals, particularly the Sinhala Buddhists, were deeply disturbed by the killing of so many elephants, which they considered sacred.
A Fateful Encounter
In January 1845, Rogers had a strange and unsettling encounter. While leading a group of coffee planters on an elephant hunt, he met an old Buddhist monk near an ancient stupa. The monk pointed at Rogers and solemnly declared something unexpected.
“White sahib, thine hour is drawing near; thou hast persisted in slaying the bodies and disturbing the souls of our sacred brothers; the measure of thine iniquities is full, and thou shalt be consumed by the lightning of heaven before thou canst raise thine accursed weapon for another act of sacrilege.”
The Buddhits Monk Said
These words deeply affected Rogers. He was left in a trance-like state, staring at the spot where the monk had stood. The story of this encounter quickly spread among the European residents of Ceylon. It soon became a topic of discussion and, for some, mockery. However, Rogers himself was deeply shaken and began to avoid conversations about elephant hunting.
The Curse Fulfilled
Eight months after the monk’s ominous warning, Rogers set out on a hunt to kill a rogue elephant that had attacked bullock cart riders near Badulla. Accompanied by several officials, including C.R. Buller, the Government Agent of Central Province, and his wife, Rogers stopped at the Haputale Rest House for lunch.
After lunch, a sudden tropical storm hit, complete with thunder and lightning. As the rain subsided, Rogers stepped outside, saying, “I think we can start pretty soon. I will go outside and see how things look….” Moments later, a bolt of lightning struck him, turning him into a “mass of black charcoal.” Rogers was only 41 years old at the time of his death.
Although Rogers’s death shocked the European community, the local Sinhalese were unsurprised, believing that such a fate was inevitable given his actions. His remains were taken to Nuwara Eliya, where he was buried in a small church graveyard. A marble slab was placed on his grave, commemorating his service and his tragic end. The slab depicted a forest, a cottage, a palm tree struck by lightning, and in the background, Adam’s Peak.
A Curse That Would Not Rest
But the story does not end there. Just two months after the marble slab was placed on Rogers’s grave, it was struck by lightning and damaged. Over the next 30 years, lightning struck the grave at least 100 times. Locals believed that Rogers’s curse continued even after his death. Today, the broken tombstone lies behind the prime minister’s residence in Nuwara Eliya. It stands close to the Golf Club, and as a reminder of the eerie events that surrounded Major Rogers.
Conclusion
The story of Major Thomas William Rogers is one of obsession, destruction, and a curse that many believe was a direct result of his actions. His life serves as a haunting example of the consequences that can follow those who disturb the natural balance, especially in a place where nature and spirituality are deeply intertwined. For those like Alex Rivera, who are drawn to the mysteries of the natural world and the unexplained, this tale is a stark reminder of the power that legends and curses hold over our imagination.
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