The Glowing Svaroopa Of The Fierce Ashtabhujadhari Kali

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

She is distinctive. She has no equal in either ferocity or beauty. She lusts after the blood of the adharmee, amongst whom She is notorious for Her mercilessness. Devi Kali is the very picture of the wrathful side of Hindu dharma, and the superfine bronze sculpture you see on this page does justice to Her form (in terms of both beauty and iconography). She is long and slender, Her high-energy poise contained perfectly by Her ashtabhujadhari roopa (eight-armed form). A myriad of weapons and ritual implements are in each of Her hands, which add to the power and vigour of Her persona. Her wrath equals Shivatandava itself, a phenomenon that has no match in all the cosmic realms put together.

This bronze rendition of Her has been handpicked from the studios of local artisans in Swamimalai, the home of contemporary bronze tradition. It was the rulers of the Chola dynasty who patronised bronze sculptors in their kingdom, resulting in a superlative reputation for the South to this day. This Ma Kali sculpture bears the hallmarks of a fine Southern bronze. A highly polished, supersmooth finish; an iconography replete with the the inverted-lotus pedestal; and a standard of aesthetics that most devotional art could merely aspire to. What adds greatly to the composition is the multi-tiered aureole set off by a ring of fire, which complements the flaming halo behind Her head.