Lieutenant F. W. Holmes photograph of the Indian rope trick in May, 1917.
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From an ancient trick marveled for centuries to be ‘the world’s greatest illusion’, comes a tale so high it could only have come from hemp!
Indian Rope Trick performed for British Troops
The ancient hemp trick first appears in 9th century India, first told by a Hindu teacher named Adi Shankara.
In this original telling, a Juggler appears before the crowd. After some minor feats to gain the crowds attention, the juggler grabs a ball of thread and throws it high into the sky. To the amazement of the crowd the thread stands upright disappearing into the blue.
The Juggler ceremoniously places his knife into his mouth and climbs the thread disappearing from sight into the sky. A loud battle is heard by all as human parts start to fall from the sky. The dismembered body parts are gathered by an assistant on the ground. Placed together these bloody body parts magically ‘arises again’ as the juggler appears before the crowd unharmed and thankfully in one piece.
Drawing from the book ‘English noblemen, Rare and memorable sea and land journeys; through the Egypten, West-Als, Perzien, Turkyen, East-Als, and d’adjacent regions’ by Edward Melton in Amsterdam, 1681 (notice the body parts falling from the sky as assistants gather them in a basket)
By 1670, the Indian rope trick’s lore and pageantry had only grown.
A Dutch traveler named Edward Melton described the near identical presentation of the rope trick he witnessed in amazement while traveling through Jakarta.
In this performance Edward witnessed that after the limbs had been collected in a basket, all those limbs actually “creep together again” before the crowds stunned eyes!
Howard Thurston 1927 magic act (Thurston would offer 5,000 rupees to anyone who could perform the original trick in the open air, no one ever claimed the prize)
Around the turn of the 19th century traveling magicians dug through history and revived the old hemp trick for a whole new audience to enjoy.
The magicians would drastically change the tone of this ancient act appealing for their modest audience’s. For this conservative version the person climbing the rope would no longer disappear to be chopped to pieces in front of a horrified crowd. Instead the climber would simply reach the top of the magically standing hemp rope before descending to the ground in safety before the ropes magical collapse.
Karachi performing the Indian Rope Trick December 1934
A organization named ‘the Occult Committee of The Magic Circle’ meet in 1934 to discuss the validity behind the ancient trick. The group wanted to know if this was indeed magic or just a illusion trick.
Gathering all the information they could find the group concluded “this ancient myth to the realm of the nonexistent”…
Wanting to believe, the group publicly offered 500 guineas (a guinea is a one quarter ounce coin of gold) to anyone who could perform the trick in the open air.
One father would send his son up…
Karachi and son performing the Indian Rope Trick in a open field in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England January 7, 1935
In 1935 a virtually unknown local magician attempted to rise to the occasion and claim the Magic Cirlce’s offered prize.
‘The Great Karachi’ along with his sidekick, his son Kyder, showed up as promised in a open field ready to perform the feat of magic in front of journalists, academics, and magicians. A cameraman was along to capture the magic…
Karachi performing the Indian Rope Trick January 1935
As the small crowd of skeptics watched in amazement, Karachi taking a limp hemp rope, slowly feed the rope straight up into the air.
When the rope was at full length magically standing into the open sky, his son fearlessly grabbed the rope and started his ascent. Climbing to the very top of the rope suspended from the sky, he paused posing for the camera before making his descent safely to the solid ground.
With a bit of showmanship Karachi then slowly pulled the rope from the air, placing the hemp back in a pile by his feet until there is only sky…
Karachi and son performing the Indian Rope Trick in a open field in Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England January 7, 1935
Claiming the prize turned out to be the greater feat, when the ‘Occult Committee of The Magic Circle’ denied the magicians payout. The Magic Circle pointed out Karachi’s son did not “disappear from sight” as in the original telling of the trick, therefore his trick was not complete…
Joseph Dunninger performing the Indian rope trick 1941
Many have claimed to solve the riddle of the Indian Rope Trick, some with bamboo pole’s, others with wires, hanging from a overhang or even going to the extent of hiding a steel pole within the rope itself.
But maybe, just maybe, it was just the magic of Hemp!
The Great Karachi performing his version of the Indian Rope Trick, 1935