kali

     

Kali, also known as Kalika (Bengali: কালী, Kālī / কালিকা Kālīkā ; Sanskrit: काली), is a Hinu goddess associated with death and destruction. Despite her negative connotations, she is not actually the goddess of death, but rather of Time and Change. Although sometimes presented as black and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. More complex Tantric beliefs sometimes extend her role so far as to be the "Ultimate Reality" or Brahman. She is also revered as Bhavatarini (lit. "redeemer of the universe"). Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kali as a benevolent mother-goddess.

Trivia about kali

  • Calcutta's name may be derived from a temple devoted to this destructive Hindu mother goddess
  • The Thuggees worshipped this evil wife of the Hindu god Shiva