Kali Indian Goddess of Shakti Feminine Energy, Creativity and Fertility from Brian's Collection


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  • Kali Indian Goddess of Shakti Feminine Energy, Creativity and Fertility
  • Due to the amount of wear and softening of the figure's features, and the fineness of the detail, we estimate the age of the this magnificent figure as early to mid 19th Century.
  • Approx. 5" tall x 2 1/4" wide x 2" deep
  • Hindu goddess (or Devi of death, time, destruction and is also considered a strong mother-figure and symbolic of Motherly-Love. Kali also embodies Shakti Feminine Energy, Creativity and Fertility. She is an incarnation of Parvati, wife of Shiva. She is often depicted in art as a fearful, fighting figure adorned with a necklace of severed heads, a skirt of arms, a lolling tongue, while holding a knife dripping with blood. 
  • Kali's name is derived from the Sanskrit meaning "She who is black, or She who is death". As an embodiment of time Kali devours all things but can also represent the benevolence of a mother goddess. 
  • Kali's most common four armed iconographic image shows each hand carrying a sword, a trident, a severed head and a bowl or skull-cup catching the blood of the severed head. Two of these hands (usually the left) are holding a sword and a severed head. The sword signifies human ego which must be slain by divine knowledge in order to attain moksha. The other two hands (usually the right) are in the fearlessness and blessing mudras, which means her initiated devotees will be saved. She has a garland of human heads (usually 108 or 51) (an auspicious number in Hinduism and the number of countable beads on a mala). She is often shown naked which symbolizes Her being beyond the covering of Maya since She is pure. 
  • The pose of Kali's foot on Shiva's chest comes from an episode in which Kali was rampaging out of control after destroying many demons. Shiva, fearing that Kali would not stop until She destroyed the world, could only think of one way to stop Her. Once she realized Her consort was under Her and She realized She gone too far, was when She finally calmed down.
  • The origin of this figure is most likely Indian, and was collected by Beads of Paradise NYC Owner Brian in the early 1990's in Nepal.