Hinduism

Kali: the fierce mother, her meaning and her temples

काली

Kali is the Hindu goddess of time and of the destruction of illusions, and probably the most famous of all the goddesses. From outside she is frightening: black, wild-haired, with a garland of heads and a red tongue. To a Bengali she is simply Ma, the mother, and in Kolkata, where she is worshipped most widely, her temples draw large crowds.

KalikaDakshineshwari

Story

Born from Durga's brow in the heat of battle, she could not stop; Shiva lay down in her path, and when she stepped on him she bit her tongue in shame. That is the tongue in every image. Kalighat, where the paintings of this catalogue's style were sold, is her temple.

Family and companions

form_of

Parvati

Festivals

💃 Navratri

Diwali

Her story

Kali's first major appearance is in the Devi Mahatmya, a Sanskrit text of about the sixth century. In the battle against the demons she springs from the brow of the goddess Durga, a personification of her rage. She cuts down the demons Chanda and Munda, which earns her the name Chamunda, and defeats Raktabija, a demon who multiplied from every drop of his blood that touched the ground, by drinking his blood before it could fall.

A popular telling, the one behind most Bengali images, continues the story: victorious, she could not stop dancing, the earth began to shake, and Shiva lay down in her path; when she stepped on her husband she bit her tongue in shame and stood still. That is the tongue in every image.

✅ Reading the image

Every frightening detail has a meaning in the tradition.

Black skin — Kali means "the black one" and also "she who governs time": the dark into which everything returns.
Garland of heads, skirt of arms — The ego and the deeds she cuts away from the devotee.
Sword and severed head — Knowledge that cuts through illusion.
Raised hands — In the Dakshina Kali form, worshipped in Bengal, two of her four hands bless and say "do not fear".
Shiva beneath her feet — Consciousness lying still under energy in motion; in Bengal, a husband who calmed his wife.

Kali temples

Kolkata is her city; elsewhere her temples are fewer and fiercer in reputation than she deserves.

Dakshineswar, Kolkata

On the east bank of the Hooghly, built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni for Kali in her form as Bhavatarini. Twelve Shiva shrines line the river beside it, and the temple is closely associated with the 19th-century mystic Ramakrishna. The Dakshineswar Kali is the merciful one.

Kalighat, Kolkata

One of the 51 Shakti Pithas, the places where, by tradition, parts of the goddess Sati's body fell; here, by tradition, the toes of her right foot. The neighbourhood gave its name to Kalighat painting, the bold watercolours once sold to pilgrims outside.

Kalkaji, Delhi

The Kali temple opposite Nehru Place, which gave the neighbourhood its name; at Navratri the queues and road diversions start before dawn. See [Navratri in Delhi](/en/festivals/navratri/delhi/).

Chamundi Hill, Mysuru

The [Chamundeshwari temple](/en/mysore/chamundeshwari-devi-temple/) honours the goddess as Chamundeshwari, a name that recalls Chamunda, the slayer of Chanda and Munda; it is the goddess of Mysuru's Dasara.

Festivals

Kali Puja falls on the new-moon night of Kartik, the same night the rest of India keeps [Diwali](/en/festivals/diwali/): in Bengal the goddess is offered red hibiscus and the prayers go on until dawn, with pandals across Kolkata, Barasat and Naihati. During [Navratri](/en/festivals/navratri/) she is honoured among the forms of the goddess; in Kolkata she is never far from [Durga](/en/deities/durga/), of whom she is a fierce form, and from [Parvati](/en/deities/parvati/), Shiva's consort.

❓ FAQ

Who is Kali?

A major Hindu goddess of time, death and transformation, the first of the ten Mahavidyas and the central deity of tantric and Shakta traditions. In Bengal she is worshipped above all as the Divine Mother.

What does Kali mean?

"The black one" and "she who governs time". The name is unrelated to Kali Yuga, the present age, which comes from a different Sanskrit word.

Who is Kali's husband?

Shiva. Kali is regarded as a form of Parvati and of Durga, so Shiva is her consort; he is the figure lying under her feet.

Why is Kali's tongue out?

In the popular Bengali telling, she bit her tongue in shame when she realised she had stepped on Shiva, and that stopped her dance of destruction.

What is the Kali mantra?

Om krim Kalikayai namah, "homage to Kalika".

Sources (5)

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