kali puja mythology and celebrations

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Kali Puja Mythology and Celebrations BY SUMIT RAY

The cult of Kali is one of

the few remaining

examples of female

deity worship, and that

too in a mighty and

vengeful rather than a

benign form. The rituals

are tantric and the

goddess herself is often

seen as a terrifying,

demonic manifestation.

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Diwali, the Festival of Lights, has just ended, celebrated with gusto across India and other parts of the

world. However, the day is also associated with other celebrations, including the worship of the

goddess, Kali.

The cult of Kali is unique in the world today, as many see it as one of the few remaining instances of

worshipping female deities, and that too in a mighty and vengeful form and not a benign form. Unlike

Diwali, though, Kali Puja as a public festival is a more recent phenomenon, traced to the 18th century.

Kali was a popular deity before this, with texts and songs devoted to her, and her followers were widely

spread. Like Durga Puja, Kali Puja is also believed to have received a fillip from the patronage of

landowners.

Celebrations Kali Puja sees fewer pandals than Durga Puja, though they are present. This may be attributed to the

fact that it is a much shorter 1-day festival. People conduct the worship at their homes, or more

elaborately at Kali temples. Kali Worship at temples, which is also called Shyama Puja, takes place at

night and the rituals are according to tantric norms – more energetic and esoteric compared to Vedic

norms practiced at homes.

Due to her image as a fearsome, savage and indestructible Goddess, the rituals also involve animal

sacrifice, offerings of Red Hibiscus flowers and even blood.

Mythology The image of Kali that we see is hard to understand without the mythology that surrounds the figure -

the story of Durga and the battle with Mahishasura. In Hindu mythology the concept of multiple

manifestations and avatars is widely pervasive and it is well known that there is a pantheon of Gods and

Goddesses in India (330,000 being a popular count). However, it is less common knowledge that most of

these are various forms of some primordial forms – mainly the triumvirate of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,

and the female entity Devi. Durga and Kali are some of the manifestations of this Devi. These

manifestations are region-centric (local deities) and also allegorical. Hence we have Kali, who appears

out of Durga herself to counter the growing ferocity of the demons. Thus, she is both Mother and

murderer, both gentle and savage.

Kali proceeds to unleash the most gruesome of retaliations upon the demons and tears off their heads

and wears them as a necklace. Her weapon is not a sword or a spear, but an axe. She is also dark, giving

her her name Kali meaning black (though another etymology is that of Kaal or time, making her the

Goddess of time and timelessness). When the enemy has been vanquished and their leaders have fallen,

Kali is so swept away by her own blood-lust that she continues her deadly dance and cannot stop spilling

blood. Now the very Gods who created her were afraid of the uncontrolled rage and needed to

somehow put a stop to it.

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This is when Shiva, the consort of the Devi, decides that she cannot be challenged, but needs to be

pacified. He lies down in her path and allows her to close in on him. She eventually steps on his body,

completely caught unawares, at which act she bites her tongue in shock. Though she is an unstoppable

force, she also harbours love and compassion for her husband.

The popular depiction of Kali depicts all of these aspects and is a very familiar icon in India. It is

important to have a mature understanding of the mythology to avoid misconceptions, as the Kali figure

has often been seen as demonic herself. The very sight of her is meant to invoke fear, and yet is

supposed to be an assurance that the might of Kali protects those who need protection. Even here the

complexity of Indian mythology shows its brilliance as readings show how even criminals and demons

can approach Gods for their protection. This apparently bizarre trend is a comment on the need for God,

or a powerful person, to be detached from the matters of the world and its workings. If penance has

been performed, then blessings are bestowed.

Kali’s Influence Interestingly, among the ardent followers of Kali were the thuggees of the 17th and 18th centuries.

These were organized groups of highwaymen who ambushed travelers and robbed and murdered them.

Their methods were shrouded in rituals and their worship of Kali was also terrifyingly unique, including

rumours of Human Sacrifice. This contributed, in no small way, to the misconceptions of Kali as being a

patron of villains.

But better examples of devotion can be found in the lives of saints like Ramprasad Sen (18th century)

who wrote songs in praise of the Goddess, and Sri Ramakrishna (19th century) whose teachings formed

a re-awakening of spiritualism in India.

The cult of Kali, though the based on a mythology and cult figure, is yet a rejection of organized religion.

One can feel how it is meant to deflect the search for answers that one normally seeks from worship.

She embodies the absence of time and of piety, and like Shiva is a representative of Destruction, which

is not a loss, but an inevitability of life beyond life.

kali puja mythology and celebrations

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