Kali as the Supreme Deity - 19th Century

Medium: Pigments on Paper
The terrifying goddess Kali, wearing a necklace of skulls and holding a severed head in one of her hands, is here worshiped by the great gods. From the left, we see Indra, Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). Kali stands for the forces of destruction, but she is also a life-giver. Her posture is that of a woman giving birth.
 
Source: http://art.thewalters.org


Cosmic Hindu Goddess with Companions - Nepal 19th Century


In Nepal, where Hinduism and Buddhism have flourished side by side, new forms of the Hindu goddess were invented to show her cosmic nature. Here, the supremacy of the squatting central figure is demonstrated not only by her position and by the presence of many arms and heads but also by the appearance on the upper part of the pedestal of the three chief Hindu gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The body of Bhairava, a fearsome aspect of Shiva, is stretched out directly beneath the goddess. Kali (left) and the warrior goddess Durga (right) join her. At the bottom of the painting, left center, a king pays homage to a "yantra" (magical diagram). This is the king who ruled Nepal from 1799 until 1820. In a ceremony, the goddess was asked to descend into the yantra in order to bring benefits to the king and his kingdom.

Source: http://art.thewalters.org

Goddess Kali in Battle with Raktavija - Late 18th Century


Date: 1775 -1800
Medium: Pigments on Paper
Devi, the goddess, assumes the terrifying black form of Kali, whose extended pink tongue laps up blood, as related in the sacred text known as the "Devimahatmya." The demon-king Shumbha's general, Raktavija, is shown twice. Above, supported by the goddess's extended tongue, he holds sword and shield, and his drops of blood produce clones of himself. Below, he has at last been conquered.

Source: http://art.thewalters.org 

Goddess Kali on Shiva - Kangra Painting (1800 - 1825)

Medium: pigments and gold on paper

The great goddess Kali, embodying the forces of destruction, is on a rampage, and she is drunk on the blood of her victims. The supreme god Shiva assumes the position of a corpse atop a blazing funeral pyre. When Kali dances on his body, she recognizes her husband. Calmed, she grants him her powers.

Source: http://art.thewalters.org 

Goddess Kali - 1770 Print, Colored etching on paper


Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org

Goddess Kali Dancing on Shiva - Bengal 1860s

Image of the goddess Kali, dancing on her male consort Shiva. She is shown four armed, black skinned, dripping with blood and her tongue sticking out. In her lower left hand she holds a severed head.

Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk

Finely Carved Ivory Image of the Goddess Kali - Mid 19th Century Bengal


Finely carved ivory image of the goddess Kali trampling on the prostrate body of Shiva. In this fearsome form, she is shown with her tongue projecting, brandishing weapons in two of her four arms, and holding a human head. She is also wearing a necklace of human skulls. The image is placed within a neo-classical door-way with pillars and a fanlight with floral designs, and mounted on a rectangular ivory base.

Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk

Goddess Kali in Traditional Pose - 19th Century Bengal Woodcut

Artist: Sri Hemchandra Das

A woodcut with narrow black border, depicting the goddess Kali in traditional pose, standing on her husband Shiva and sticking her tongue out in shame at the moment of realisation. She holds a decapitated head in her bottom left hand and a sword in her top left hand. On either side of her stands a female figure with a sword.There are two inscriptions and no additional colour washes.

Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk

Sculpture of Goddess Kali - Late 19th Century

Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk

Kali dancing on Shiva - Late 19th Century Punjab

Four-armed Kali is dancing on the prostrate Shiva (her consort) as a tantric symbol of regeneration. She is depicted with long ragged locks, fang-like teeth, lips smeared with blood, tongue protruding, bare breasts, with a third eye. She holds a severed head in one of her hands and a large sword in another. Kali is the malignant aspect of the goddess Sakti (also known as Durga). The conflict of her personality follows the widely held notion that out of destruction comes rebirth.

Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk

Goddess Kali - Kalighat Painting 1850s


Medium: Watercolour on lithographed outlines

Kali is a form of Durga and considered as Shakti, the Goddess of Strength. This picture is a replica of the image which is worshipped inside the Kalighat temple. The format of the image has influence and origin in Bengal tribal culture. Kalighat is considered by Bengali Hindus as a 'Pitasthan' and Sati's toes were supposed to have fallen at this site.

Purchased from Mrs H. Wagner in 1955.


Source: http://collections.vam.ac.uk