Kali

   In Vedic myth the wife of Siva. Kali also appears in the following forms: Ambika, Anna-Purna, Bhavani, Durgha, Kamakshi, Kumari, Sati, Uma, Vijaya. As Kali, the goddess of time, she is usually depicted dancing through space. She has four hands, and her garment is draped with human heads. In one hand she holds a sword; in a second hand a freshly severed human head; the third hand is raised in a gesture of peace; and the fourth hand is grasping for power. At her feet lies the body of her husband, on whom she has trampled in her frenzy. She would appear to be an early war goddess who was absorbed into the Hindu pantheon as the creator or mother of Siva, whom she subsequently married. Her other names are doubtless those of goddesses who have been treated in the same cavalier fashion. Her worship is usually accompanied by sanguinary rites.

   She was the titular goddess of the thugs. Calcutta, or Kali-ghat, was named after her. The male aspect of Kali was Maha-Kala.