The Indian Tomb

The Maharaja of Eschnapur sends his yogi, Ramigani, to the architect Herbert Rowland in England. Rowland is tasked with building a tomb for the Maharaja’s wife. Under the spell of the yogi, Rowland immediately follows him to India. He leaves a letter for his fiancée Irene, informing her of his travel destination, but the letter is magically removed by the yogi. However, thanks to Rowland’s servant, Irene discovers where he has gone and hastens to Eschnapur as well.

The Maharaja confides in Rowland, revealing that the Princess Savitri is still alive and being held captive in her chambers. The vengeful Maharaja wants to punish both Savitri and the British officer Mac Allan, with whom she had a love affair, by sentencing them to death.

Irene learns that Rowland has defied the Maharaja’s orders and has attempted to contact her. As a result of the curse of an ascetic, he has become afflicted with leprosy and is languishing in quarantine in the courtyard of the lepers. At Irene’s request, he is healed by the yogi Ramigani.

Mac Allan, after a desperate flight through the wilderness, is captured by the Maharaja’s tiger hunters and thrown into the palace dungeon. The Maharaja has him torn apart by his tigers. The dancer Mirrjha, who is a confidante of Princess Savitri, is also not safe from the prince’s vengeance. She is murdered by a deliberate snakebite. As she dies, she warns Rowland and Irene of their impending deaths. Consequently, they decide to escape together with the princess.

The music serves as a tribute to the contemporary music of the silent film era. It incorporates elements of Indian music, but it is not authentic; rather, it reflects the exotic European perspective on Indian music from the early 20th century. The music connects content and sequences along the dramatic structure, but it does not merely replicate the visual scenes. Instead, it seeks to balance old images with new music using the methods of the current composer.

In this spectacular and opulent epic film, there is everything a romantic and adventurous heart could desire: love, drama, jealousy, daring action in the Indian jungle (filmed near Berlin and so spectacular at the time that even President Friedrich Ebert came to see it), tiger enclosures (with people who don’t belong there…), crocodiles attacking helpless servants, men ranging from elegant to vengeful, and women from desperate to overconfident…

Originally, screenwriter Fritz Lang was also slated to direct the film. However, Joe May took over the project, citing that Lang was too young and inexperienced for such an expensive and monumental film project.

Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Vollbrecht, and Martin Jacoby-Boy. May had several massive structures built on the grounds of his production facility in Woltersdorf (near Berlin) for “The Indian Tomb,” including two Gopura temple buildings and a Maharaja’s palace with gardens and a tiger enclosure. The material used was limestone from a nearby quarry. Thousands of extras filled the sets as the people of Eschnapur, and the Sarrasani Circus provided animals. The production costs for this extravagant project are said to have ranged between 20 and 24 million marks.