Homes illuminated with lights and diyas, families and friends exchanging Diwali gifts and well wishes, and the worship of Maa Lakshmi and Ganesh in every household – this is perhaps the most common portrayal of Diwali for many of us. But for people in the eastern part of India, especially Bengal, Diwali is synonymous with worshipping Maa Kali, the goddess often misunderstood for her fierce expression. Behind this intense figure lies the story of a deity who protects the cosmos and the living.
Kali Puja is a prominent festival in West Bengal, celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month of Kartika. The appearance of Maa Kali often evokes fear, with her garland of skulls, skirt made of human arms, and protruding tongue as she stands on Lord Shiva’s chest, holding a skull believed to belong to a demon she has slain. Maa Kali embodies ‘Adi Shakti’ and is the protector of the living, while her name, Kali, also signifies ‘death.’
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Maa Kali is a manifestation of Parvati. According to legends, when the demons Shumbh and Nishumbh created chaos and defeated the gods, Parvati shed her dark skin, giving birth to another form we know as Kali.
Raktabij, a demon who had a boon that each drop of his blood would give rise to another Raktabij, posed a formidable threat in the battle between gods and demons. To ensure victory, Maa Kali licked every drop of his blood before it hit the ground, thus killing the demon. However, after ridding the world of evil, she could not control her wrath and began destroying the mortal world, killing anything in her path. To stop her, Lord Shiva lay in front of her, and upon realizing she had stepped on her husband, her tongue protruded in shock – this is the form we worship today.
Maa Kali is often worshipped to ward off negativity and evil, for she is the ‘Adi Shakti,’ the Divine Mother, who governs both creation and destruction.
