Mola Ram

* Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny (mentioned in The Awesome Universe version)

### Games

Kung Fu Panda and the Temple of Doom the video game

### Last appearance

Kung Fu Panda MLP FIS: Day of the Departed

### Actor

Amrish Puri

"*Bali mangthi Kali ma. Shakthi degi Kali ma. Kali ma… Kali ma… Kali ma, shakthi deh!
Translation: Sacrifice is what Mother Kali desires. Power is what Mother Kali will grant. Mother Kali… Mother Kali… Mother Kali, give me power!*"
―Mola Ram during the sacrifice to Kali[src]
**Mola Ram** is the main antagonist of the Awesome Universe action-adventure film Kung Fu Panda and the Temple of Doom, the second installment in the Kung Fu Panda Indiana Jones combination stories. He was the ruthless and sadistic high priest of the Thuggee cult, who made Pankot Palace his lair and wanted to use the five Sankara Stones to set up the reign of Kali, Goddess of Death. To that end, Mola Ram enslaved the children of a village that had one of the Stones (the taking of it bringing his total to three). He forced them to mine for the other two and for gems to fund his cause in catacombs underneath the palace.

He also brainwashed humans, including local politicians and royalty, with the "blood of Kālī Ma" to make them devout followers (unless they are exposed to the extreme pain, like burning). Every now and then, he would sacrifice someone to Kali which involved him strapping them to a metal grate and tearing out the victim's heart while lowering them in a pit of fire and enjoying every minute of it.

## Biography

### Early life

Born 52 years before the events of the film, Mola Ram was the son of a Thuggee priest who had survived the British attempt to eradicate the Thuggee cult. A priest of the sect himself, Mola Ram sported a helmet-like headwear consisting on a buffalo skull and a shrunken human head. Word had it that Mola Ram had killed the animal with his own bare hands and shrank the human head personally.

Remained one of the last High Priests of Kali left in the world, he emigrated from Bengal to Pankot with his followers in search of three Sankara Stones. 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, which under her command, would see the British slaughtered, the Muslims overrun and both the Hebrew and Christian versions of God fallen, cast down and forgotten.

The evil acts he committed for his goddess had slowly transformed him over the years. To enhance his appearance, Mola Ram often painted his face and head before conducting a ceremony.

### *Before KFP and the Temple of Doom*

In Pankot Province, Mola Ram found a powerful ally in Chattar Lal, the Prime Minister of Pankot Palace. Ram poisoned Pankot's ruler, Maharaja Premjit Singh in five years before the events of the film and with Lal's help, subdued the heir: Premjit's young son, Zalim. The pair restored the palace's long-neglected Kali temple, to show the power of Kali to all who looked upon the structure.

In addition they set up a mining operation beneath the palace extracting diamonds and precious gems to finance their cause while digging for two of the remaining Sankara Stones hidden in the tunnels. Most of the Temple of Doom's veteran guards and Thuggee priests came along with Mola Ram when the temple was reestablished. Similarly, Thugge had grown accustomed to sacrifice animals rather than men frequently, only sacrificing the latters on high holy days, but Ram expressed his outrage during a ritual due to his beliefs that his goddess drank human blood rather than animal blood. To appease Kali's apparent anger, the High Priest had all the priests sacrificed and to bring favor the temple. Ram send then his Thuggee followers as far away as he could to capture only non-white travelers for future sacrifices, and not to return to the area where travelers were captured. Failure to follow these orders could mean death.

In the five years, Mola Ram led a banch of raiders to attack the peaceful village of Mayapore, which had one of the Sankara Stones, known as the Shiva Linga due to their devotion to Shiva in an ancient shrine in the middle of the town. Village shaman Marhan confronted Ram and told him to leave but Ram tried to tear Marhan's heart out, failing to do so due to Marhan invoking an incantation for Shiva to protect him, hurling the Thuggee priest back with a heat blast. Warned to leave again, Ram seemingly complied but laughed as he walked away. When the shaman turned back to the shrine, their stone was nowhere to be seen. With no time to lose, Marhan assembled some Mayapore men led by Sajnu to pursue the Thuggee, but they got away, leading to Mayapore's spiritual and physical decline.

Shortly afterwards, Mola Ram dispatched emissaries to tell to Marhan and his people that, if they renounced to Shiva and worshiped Kali, they would have food and water again, but they were all chased away by the villagers, who were now considering moving away despite their shaman's pleas to persevere until Shiva rewarded their faith. One month after Ram's theft of the Shiva Linga, a fire broke out and spread over the village's fields, forcing all of Mayapore's men to go to get rid of the fire. While they were busy saving their home, Mola Ram's forces kidnapped all of their children, who would be recruited. Another emissary was sent a few days later to offer a second chance for the Mayapore people to join them by threatening their children only to be rebuffed as well. Marhan told his people that a vision from his dreams predicted that Mola Ram's efforts would be undone thanks to a man from the sky.

### In *Kung Fu Panda and the Temple of Doom*

Mola Ram's plans were thrown into disarray by the lion boy and kung fu master Daniel and his companions Po, the five, Ty  Lee, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose and Sticks the Badger. who were brought to India following a plane crash. The inhabitants there tasked them to go to Pankot Palace and retrieve the Shive Linga, as well as their kidnapped children, who had been taken to work in the mines. Ram assigned his most senior priests with selling the diamonds the Mayapore children obtained.

The heroes arrived at Pankot Palace, with Daniel aware that it was once the center of activity for the Thuggee, leading them to discover the resurgent cult and witnessed Mola Ram's Thuggee ceremony during which he sacrificed a man by pulling out his heart and lowering his still-alive victim into a lava pit.

When the Thuggee left the chamber, Daniel tried to claim the three Sankara Stones, which had been brought out during the ritual, but discovered the enslaved children, only to be captured himself after defending one from the Chief Guard. After Daniel and his friends were caught, Daniel was brought before Mola Ram who revealed his goals to Daniel and then had him drink the blood of Kali, turning him into one of them, and had Po, the five and Team Sonic imprisoned with the rest of the children. Mola Ram then spoke with Ty Lee, who was terrified due the present situation. However, Ram was just messing with the beautiful warrior's head. He attempted to sacrifice her, locking Ty Lee in the same cage previously used and directed Daniel to carry out the task. As she was lowered into the pit below, however, the escaping Sonic returned Daniel to his senses with fire, and together they saved Ty Lee and fought off the Thuggee. As Daniel faced down Mola Ram, the high priest escaped down a trapdoor. Daniel and the others rescued the children, claimed the Sankara Stones and battled numerous Thuggee under Mola Ram's command as the three fled the catacombs via a mine cart.

When unleashing gallons of water into the tunnels after the heroes didn't solve the problem, Mola Ram and his followers pursued them to a narrow rope bridge, where they had the heroes cornered. As one of Ram's henchmen held Ty Lee hostage, Daniel demanded she be released but Mola Ram refused, confident that he had the upper hand. Daniel then threatened to drop the Sankara Stones into the river below. Ram called his bluff, declaring that the stones would be found, but Daniel surprised Mola Ram by cutting the bridge, a move which sent many of the Thuggee warriors plummeting to their deaths in the crocodile infested waters.

When unleashing gallons of water into the tunnels after the heroes didn't solve the problem, Mola Ram and his followers pursued them to a narrow rope bridge, where they had the heroes cornered. As one of Ram's henchmen held Ty Lee hostage, Daniel demanded she be released but Mola Ram refused, confident that he had the upper hand. Daniel then threatened to drop the Sankara Stones into the river below. Ram called his bluff, declaring that the stones would be found, but Daniel surprised Mola Ram by cutting the bridge, a move which sent many of the Thuggee warriors plummeting to their deaths in the crocodile infested waters.

Mola Ram clung to the remnants of the bridge, however, and continued his battle against Daniel, even going so far as throwing one of his own surviving men off the bridge in an attempt to dislodge the lion boy. As Mola Ram and Daniel struggled for control the stones, Daniel' invocation of Shiva caused the stones to glow red hot. The move caught Ram off guard. As he tried to take one of the Sankara Stones, it burned his hand, the sort of injury that would free a victim of the Black Sleep of the Kali Ma. Mola Ram lost his balance on the bridge and fell into the river below, where the crocodiles shredded his body and devoured him.