The Mahatma Letters controversy

Record summary

The Mahatma Letters are a body of correspondence associated with Helena Blavatsky, Henry Olcott, and alleged advanced teachers called Koot Hoomi and Morya. The letters became central to Theosophical teachings about hidden masters, spiritual evolution, and trans-Himalayan wisdom, while critics disputed their authorship, production, and delivery. They matter for comparing esoteric textual authority, manuscript circulation, and colonial fantasies of Tibet. Researchers can examine surviving letters, handwriting analyses, archival provenance, and competing scholarly interpretations without treating the alleged masters as historically verified persons.