“Shavaroodha”- she who is enthroned on a Shava or dead body, “Mahabhima”- She who is enormous, “Chaturbhuja”- four-armed, with Khadag (sickle), Munda (head), Vara and Abhaya mudra (gestures of giving boon and dispensing fears), “Shivaa”- the beloved of Lord Shiva, Parvati, “Mundamaladharam Devi”- the goddess who is adorned with the garland of skulls, she is Kali, the resident of Shmashan or funeral grounds. This evocation of Shmashan Kalika or Kali becomes the inspiration for this acrylic on canvas by Giri Ratna Singh, which depicts the ethereal and awe-inspiring form of goddess Kali.
With deep and mystical hues, the canvas is created, where goddess Kali takes the central space, seated on the body of Shiva as Shmashan Bhairava (a ferocious aspect of Shiva). Large-eyed, with the crescent on his head and a vigor in his expression, Bhairava holds the foot of Kalika, as if urging her to place it on his chest. Underneath Bhairava is a lotus flower, placed over Shiva as Shava (a state of absence of Shakti, in which even Shiva becomes inactive and dormant). Below him are skulls supporting his form and at the lowest level are wooden logs of funeral pyre.
The sovereign protectress and annihilator, goddess Kali enchants the mind with her otherworldly appearance. The deep blue of her form is adorned with ornaments made from severed heads, hands, and jewels. A serpent, a symbol of time and death (Kaala), is worn by the goddess as her Yajnopavita or sacred thread and her earrings are bodies of demons. On her forehead, the third eye brims with energy, supported by the crescent moon and a solar halo.
Muktakeshini (she who has her tresses open), goddess Kali has her hair placed in a majestic halo around her, which sways, becoming potent flames, symbolizing Chidagni (the fire of consciousness) which is manifested in goddess Kali.
The atmosphere of the artwork is as awesome as its central imagery of Kalika, amplifying the aura of the goddess. Surrounding the goddess is the smoke that rises from the pyres burning on the ground, in whose fire one can see the Yogini (female attendants) of Kali, wearing skull garlands and Preta (the souls of the dead) rising to their denoted otherworldy abodes. In the foreground of the painting are animal bones, a jackal (an animal associated with Shmashan and goddess Kali), hibiscus and Dhatura flowers (favorites of goddess and Shiva), and ritual objects along with a sacrificial fire in the center, suggesting that a Tantric ritual for Shmashan Kali is about to take place.
Smiling charmingly in her transcendental home, Shmashan Kalika is the symbol of supreme wisdom, in which the being is aware of the uncertainty and fragility of human form, and sits amongst the reminders of mortality, facing them with a mocking laughter, fearless and eternally tranquil with the benevolence of their cosmic guardian-Kali.
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