Ma Kali

Cpl Punishment

Cpl Punishment

Joined
Jan 28, 2006
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Just out of curiosity, what kind of role does Ma Kali play in Nepali life? I know in some places in India, there are enormous shrines to her, and she is worshipped as a destroyer of evil, and bringer of renewal, in others, she is the bringer of death. There seems to be a duality to all Hindu gods. But I was wondering if there was a major place for Kali in Nepal, or is she relegated to obscurity?
 
Well, she's on aspect of the consort of Shiva, and Shiva is worshipped in Nepal as "Bhairava." That's the closest that I can guess. Maybe I'll Google this.....
 
Okay, I found answers pretty quickly. I found references to Dakshin Kali, near Kathmandu, said to be her principal temple. (Or one of them, anyway.) And then there's this mask of kali that I found on an auction site, said to be from the Terai region (southern Nepal) in the 18th century.
 
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In Nepal the Goddess Durga has a lot more followers than Kali. Dushera, the biggest Hindu festival, is celebrated throughout India and Nepal, but the focus is different in different parts of the subcontinent. In Nepal and parts of North India, esp. the hills, worship of Goddess Durga is the primary focus. It is to celebrate Goddess Durga's victory over a demon that the (in)famous buffalo sacrifice is performed on this day throughout Nepal and Nepalese communities in India & elsewhere, including in the Gurkha Regiments in India and UK, where this is THE primary Gurkha festival. Your ultra-large 'janawar katne' khukuri and koras see much use this day!

In Eastern India (ex: Bengal), Kali puja is performed on a massive scale on this day, whereas the plains of North India sees Dushera being celebrated as the climax of the epic Ramayana, when Lord Rama is victirious over the demon Ravana.

However, a Nepali or most other Hindus, will happily bow their heads to Goddess Kali or most any of the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu Pantheon as & when the opportunity presents itself.
 
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Of course, they're 2 aspects of the same goddess.....which fact makes things even MORE confusing!
 
I was under the impression that Durga was a form of Kali.

The "darker" goddesses of various religions, from Ereshkigal to Fenria to Persephone to Kali, always fascinated me, but there seems to be little written about them.
 
I've been to two Kali temples, here in CA. Both were surprisingly warm and welcoming. Not sure about Her popularity in Nepal or India. It was my understanding that all the Goddesses were different faces of one Goddess. The story I read was that Shiva was making fun of Durga (I think) for being dark so she took off her dark skin which became Kali. But I may be oversimplifying things.

Frank
 
I'm sure that there are oodles of contrasting stories. Here's another one, from the Wikipedia article:

"In Kali's most famous myth, Durga and her assistants, Matrikas, wound the demon Raktabija, in various ways and with a variety of weapons, in an attempt to destroy him. They soon find that they have worsened the situation, as for every drop of blood that is spilt from Raktabija the demon reproduces a clone of himself. The battlefield becomes increasingly filled with his duplicates. Durga, in dire need of help, summons Kali to combat the demons. It is also said that Goddess Durga takes the form of Goddess Kali at this time."

[Emphasis added, of course.]

This seems to be a pretty good article, which also explains the meaning of the name, "Dakshin Kali" (the temple that I found).
 
Some of the overlap:

But those whose discrimination has been led astray by various desires resort to other deities, following diverse rituals constrained by their own natures.

Whatever may be the devotee seeks to worship with faith- in that form I make his faith unwavering.

Possessed of that faith, he worships that form and from it attains his desires, which are, in reality, granted by me alone.

But finite is the result gained by these men of small minds. Those who worship the deities go to the deities, those who worship Me come to Me.

Not knowing my supreme nature immutable and transcendant, foolish men think that I the Unmanifest are endowed with a manifest form.

Those who know Me as the One that underlies all elements, , as the one that underlies all the Gods, and the one that sustains all the sacrifices will, with steadfast mind know me even in the hour of death.
Click to expand...
Bhagavad Gita CH 7 (20-26) and 30
 
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