Pictures of deities: Kali
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Morgan, Kenneth W.
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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This picture, similar to many which are found on the walls of homes and shops of devotees, shows the goddess Kali in a characteristic pose. She stands on the body of Siva, her consort, her red tongue is extended. Her lower left hand holds the plate which she is giving, the upper left hand holds the severed head of the demon she has just slain
her upper right hand holds the bloody sword of destruction, the lower right hand is in the open posture of giving and blessing. About her neck is a necklace of human heads
she wears a skirt of severed arms. She is the dark goddess, the goddess of night, of destruction
at the same time she is the goddess of creation, of embodied creative power. She can never be separated from Siva, for either is incomplete without the other
this is "the concrete picture of the eternal dance of Kali, cosmic energy, on the eternal breast of Siva, cosmic consciousness."
her upper right hand holds the bloody sword of destruction, the lower right hand is in the open posture of giving and blessing. About her neck is a necklace of human heads
she wears a skirt of severed arms. She is the dark goddess, the goddess of night, of destruction
at the same time she is the goddess of creation, of embodied creative power. She can never be separated from Siva, for either is incomplete without the other
this is "the concrete picture of the eternal dance of Kali, cosmic energy, on the eternal breast of Siva, cosmic consciousness."
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This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
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