Visha Kanyas: The Deadly Cult of Poisonous Female Assassins
Did Aristotle warn Alexander about them?
In 300 B.C., a rider brings news to a king in Northern India. From the eastern front, his general sent a message of a decisive victory. At the news of his triumph, the happy monarch rewards the rider. He shares the good news with his courtiers and then dismisses them.
The ruler retires to his private quarters. He plans to spend the night in the company of the beautiful damsel gifted to him by a merchant.
She is shy as she hands him a cup of wine. The king reaches for the goblet and takes a sip. He kisses the woman before taking another swig.
Soon, a strangling sensation fills his throat. His lips turn blue. His pupils dilate and are poised to erupt. He collapses on the floor, gasping before he can even call for help.
The guards are unaware that their lord is dying in agony.
The woman sees the opportunity and flees. She wasn’t an ordinary female; she was a hired assassin with poison-laced lips.
The woman was a Visha Kanya, which translates to “poison maiden.” Legends about poisonous female assassins from India captured the popular imagination of the ancient world. Folklore tells us the mere touch of a Visha Kanya was fatal.
