The Coulomb Affair at Adyar

Record summary

Emma and Alexis Coulomb, associated with the Theosophical Society headquarters at Adyar, alleged that phenomena attributed to Helena Blavatsky and the Mahatmas involved concealed mechanisms and staged effects. The dispute became central to later arguments about apparitions, spirit communications and occult demonstrations in colonial India. It matters because the case preserves competing testimony, physical props and accusations of fraud rather than a simple haunting narrative. The exact sequence of events and the reliability of the participants require comparison among contemporary Theosophical publications, hostile reports and later historical reconstructions.