Kali Painter

Calcutta, India 1995

Kali PainterCalcutta, India 1995

Kali is the Goddess of death and destruction in Hinduism, but on the other hand she is also responsible for renewal. In Hindu Iconography she is mostly painted in black, sometimes in blue as is the case here. She is either depicted with four or ten arms, sometimes holding the severed head of an unfortunate or just a sickle in a threatening gesture. Here she has the sickle which can´t be seen, as I´ve cut off her hand in the moment of the snap-shot. In any case she is adorned with a neat necklace of a head collection and stands atop her next victim. The jackal is normally attributed to her, and I think this might be the animal jumping up towards her, even though it has some resemblance with a piglet. In West Bengal Kali is adored and worshipped as a godly mother figure, one of the most important Hindu Temples is the Temple devoted to her in Calcutta (or Kolkata as is the official term nowadays). The name Calcutta is actually an English derivate of the name of the Temple, Kali Ghat. As the Hindu Universe is very complex and full of multiple personalities, Kali comes along with at least another side of herself; in other parts of India she is worshipped as Lakshmi. She also plays an important role in Tantrism. And...and...and...

The painter is proud to be painting her for the upcoming Kalipuja, the most important religious festival in West Bengal. This scene is a common sight in the side streets of Calcutta, the preparation for Pujas an important aspect in the daily life of Bengalis. Commitment and dedication a matter of course in the City of Joy.

Zeitperle Gallery