Ganesha Statue

A small statue of the Hindu deity Ganesha rests in a niche in Willie Scott's suite at Pankot Palace. Indiana Jones lifts it, activating a hidden mechanism that slides open a wall panel and reveals a secret tunnel teeming with insects. This action catapults Indy and Short Round into the Thuggee cult's subterranean traps, embodying Ganesha's traditional role as remover of obstacles in a twist that propels them toward greater peril and underscores the palace's deceptive sacred iconography.