Kālī (काली) is the name of a mind-born ‘divine mother’ (mātṛ), created for
the purpose of drinking the blood of the Andhaka demons, according to the
Matsya-purāṇa 179.8. The Andhaka demons spawned out of every drop of blood
spilled from the original Andhakāsura (Andhaka-demon). According to the
Matsya-purāṇa 179.35, “Most terrible they (e.g., Kālī) all drank the blood
of those Andhakas and become exceedingly satiated.” The Matsyapurāṇa is
categorised as a Mahāpurāṇa, and was originally composed of 20,000 metrical
verses, dating from the 1st-millennium BCE. The narrator is Matsya, one of
the ten major avatars of Viṣṇu. Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia
2) Kali (कलि).—A synonym of Śiva. (Śloka 79, Chapter 17, Anuśāsana
Parva).Mahabharatham; associzted with Siva 5000 years back.
3) Kālī (काली).—An aspect or form of Pārvatī. Parvati is only from PAN
India: Shiva Purana -
4) Kālī (काली) is another name for Śivā: the Goddess-counterpart of Śiva
who incarnated first as Satī and then Pārvatī, according to the Śivapurāṇa
2.1.16:—“[...] the great goddess Śivā is of the three natures. Śivā became
Satī and Śiva married her. At the sacrifice of her father she cast off her
body which she did not take again and went back to her own region. Śivā
incarnated as Pārvatī at the request of the Devas. It was after performing
a severe penance that she could attain Śiva again. Śivā came to be called
by various names [such as Kālī,...]. These various names confer worldly
pleasures and salvation according to qualities and action. The name Pārvatī
is very common.
5) Kālī (काली) refers to one of the “nine Durgās” (Navadurgā),
participating in Vīrabhadra campaign against Dakṣa, according to the
Śivapurāṇa 2.2.33. Accordingly, as Brahmā narrated to Nārada:—“Mahākālī
went ahead for the destruction of Dakṣa accompanied by nine Durgās [viz.,
Kālī]. Eager in executing the command of Śiva, they accompanied the
marching heroes—Ḍākinī, Śākinī, Bhūtas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Kūṣmāṇḍas,
Parpaṭas, Caṭakas, Brahma-Rākṣasas, Bhairavas and Kṣetrapālas and set out
quickly for the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice”.
6) A mother goddess, and a varṇa śakti;1 a goddess enshrined at Kālanjara;
took part in the Tārakāmaya and enveloped the whole in darkness. A
doorkeeper of Mahākāla. *(siva)
7) Kālī (काली) is the name of the Himavat’s daughter, according to the 10th
century Saurapurāṇa: one of the various Upapurāṇas depicting
Śaivism.—Accordingly,
Satī’s rebirth as Kālī, the daughter of Himavat, her penance for getting
Śiva as her husband, the appointment of Madana (Kāma) by the gods to create
passion in diva’s mind, the burning of Madana to ashes, Kālī’s eulogy of
Śiva so that the latter is pleased to grant the desired boon and revive,
Kāma in a formless state (anaṅga), Kālī’s description of the knowledge of
Māheśvara to father, Himavat, arrangement for the marriage of Śiva and
Kālī; the description of marriage maṇḍapa, Kālī’s marriage with Śiva, the
birth of Skanda, Skanda’s fight with Indra and his appointment as the
commander in chief of the army of Gods; the killing of Tārakāsura—are
described in chapters fifty-three to sixty-three.
KR: FROM ALL THE ABOVE AND FROM 7 IT MAY BE SEEN THAT KALI WAS ONLY PAN
INDIA AND SAIVISM TOOK IT ONLY FROM PAN INDIA IN 10TH CENTURY. THERE IS NO
POILITICS INVOLVED.
II HINDUISM: Kali is the destructive form of Parvati, the consort of
Shiva. She is depicted as having a terrible visage, dark as the night in
color, with bloodshot eyes. Kālī (काली), also known as Kālikā (कालिका), is
the Hindu goddess associated with empowerment, shakti. She is the fierce
aspect of the goddess Durga (Parvati). The name Kali comes from kāla, which
means black, time, death, lord of death: Shiva. Since Shiva is called Kāla—
the eternal time — the name of Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or
"Death" (as in "time has come"). Hence, Kāli is the Goddess of Time and
Change. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest
incarnation as a figure of annihilation of evil forces still has some
influence. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shākta Tantric
beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. Comparatively
recent devotional movements largely conceive Kāli as a benevolent mother
goddess. Kālī is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body
she is often seen standing. Shiva lies in the path of Kali, whose foot on
Shiva subdues her anger. Etymology:1) Kālī is the feminine form of kālam
("black, dark coloured"). 2) Kāla primarily means "time" but also means
"black" in honor of being the first creation before light itself. Kālī
means "the black one" and refers to her being the entity of "time" or
"beyond time." 3) Kāli is strongly associated with Shiva, and Shaivas
derive the masculine Kāla (an epithet of Shiva) to come from her feminine
name. A nineteenth-century Sanskrit dictionary, the Shabdakalpadrum,
states: कालः शिवः। तस्य पत्नीति - काली। kālaḥ śivaḥ। tasya patnīti kālī -
"Shiva is Kāla, thus, his consort is Kāli" referring to Devi Parvathi being
a manifestation of Devi MahaKali. 4) Other names include Kālarātri ("black
night"), as described above, and Kālikā ("relating to time"). Coburn notes
that the name Kālī can be used as a proper name, or as a description of
color. 5) Goddess Kālī is entirely different. She is the divine energy in a
destructive form. As such she is a destructive mood of Shiva’s consort,
Parvati.
III Mahākālī (महाकाली, “Great Darkness”):—One of the names of Mahākālī
(tamas-form of Mahādevī). It represents pure tamas personified. Mahākālī is
one of the three primary forms of Devī. Not to be confused with Kālī, she
is a more powerful cosmic aspect (vyaṣṭi) of Devi and represents the guṇa
(universal energy) named tamas. For reference, see the Devī Māhātmya, a
Sanskrit work from the 5th century, incorporated into the Mārkaṇḍeya-Purāṇa.
2) Mahā-Kālī is the personification of the universal power of
transformation, the transcendent power of Time, the Great Goddess who rules
unchallenged over the universe and all that is in it. All processes in the
universe are seen to be cyclic and can be divided in 10 phases connected
with the symbolism attached to the mystical number 5 —the five aspects of
Śiva and the five aspects of Śakti operate as day and night —the markers of
Time. Mahā-Kālī sub-divides herself into the 10 goddesses known as the
Mahāvidyās (ten objects of transcendent wisdom) which are the 10 aspects of
the cycle of time — they’re representative of the entire processes of
projection and withdrawal of the universe. They are the underlying subtle
energies of which the gross universe is the outer expression. Kālī, Tārā,
Tripurasundarī, Bhuvaneśvarī, Chinnamastā, Bhairavī, Dhūmāvatī,
Bagalāmukhī, Mātaṅgī and Kamalā
3) Mahākālī (महाकाली) refers to one of the various Mātṛkā-Śaktis created
by Rudra in order to destroy the clones that spawned from Andhaka’s
body.—Accordingly, [...] Andhakāsura attempted to abduct Girājanandinī
(Pārvatī) and thus ensued a fierce battle between Andhakāsura and the great
Rudra, the Lord of Umā. Like raktabīja, every drop of blood that fell from
the body of Andhaka created another Asura like him and in no time, the
entire world was filled with Andhakas. To destroy the growing number of
Andhakas, Rudra created innumerable Mātṛkā-Śaktis [viz., Mahākālī]. These
Śaktis of immense power at once began to drink every drop of blood that
flowed from the body of Andhaka, but they could still not effectively
contain the emergence of more and more demons.
The name Bhadra comes from Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, "bhadra" means
"auspicious" or "fortunate". Another interpretation traces the name to the
Sanskrit roots "bha" and "dra". The letter "bha" signifies "delusion" or
"maya", while "dra" is used as a superlative meaning "the most" or "the
greatest". Together, "bhadra" may mean "maha maya" or "great delusion".
According to Tantra Rahasya, the feminine form of the divine (Devi) arose
from the North (Uttaramnaya) face (Amnayas) of Shiva, which is blue and
with three eyes, as Dakshinakalika, Mahakali, Guhyakah, Smashanakalika,
Bhadrakali, Ekajata, Ugratara, Taritni, Katyayani, Chhinnamasta,
Nilasarasvati, Durga, Jayadurga, Navadurga, Vashuli, Dhumavati, Visalakshi,
Gauri, Bagalamukhi, Pratyangira, Matangi, and Mahishamardini. Among the
people of the neighboring states, especially in Tamil Nadu, this form of
Shakti is known as 'Malayala Bhagavathy' or 'Malayala Bhadrakali', who
provides protection to her devotees irrespective of caste and religion. (KR:
fROM WHERE bHAGAVATHY WOULD ARRIVE AT KERALA IS SEWEN FROM THIS)
Hindu communities in Kerala, Southern Karnataka and Southern Tamil
Nadu including the Ezhavas, Billavas, Kodavas, Nadars, Namboodhiris,
Moosathu Brahmins and Nairs, worship Bhadrakali as their family deity
(Paradevata). They worship certain weapons in their temples which they
believe to be the weapons used by the goddess. The Kuladevata or community
deity of Kudumbi community is Kodungalluramma, the mother goddess of
Kodungallur. Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple is one of the most famous
temples in Kerala, dedicated to Bhadrakali. During the 'Thalappoli'
festival, which is celebrated mainly on Makar Sankranti, Kudumbi people
from all over the state (mainly Malabar, Tulunad, Kodaka) come to the
temple. Many temples of Thiyyas in Northern Kerala and South Karnataka are
called the Kali Sree Kurumba, Cheermba, and Paradevata. According to Castes
and Tribes of Southern India by Edgar Thurston, Bhadrakali is the prime
deity of Ezhavas of Travancore. According to the Nadar Community of Tamil
Nadu, there were seven children born to Devarishis and Devakanyas. They
gave their children to Bhadrakali. She took them and gave milk to the
children. The progenies of these children are today believed to be the
ancestors of the Nadar community. She is considered as the mother of
Nadars. The Nadars also claim that they are the descendants of Bhadrakali.
A Bhadrakali temple is usually at the center of almost every Nadar
settlement. Bhadrakali is also the tutelary deity of the Nadar community of
Tamil Nadu. Kanyakubja Brahmins with roots in Bhadras, Kanpur worship her
as their Kuladevi. The place is called Bhadras because of the presence of a
very old Bhadra Kali Temple. {KR: This will also show how pan India KALI
was projected as local deity at south India)} Hence I differ from the
views dragged in as political moves of southern Kings mixing south and
North distinctions.
K Rajaram IRS 22824 23824
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rangarajan T.N.C. <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2024 at 20:38
Subject: Exploring Syncretisation at the Chidambaram Temple
To:
aghavan SrinivasanRaghavan SrinivasanAuthor at Hachette and Leadstart,
Director (New Concept), social development consultant (health, education,
child rights, child protection, policy, impact, feasibility), writer, human
rights activistAuthor at Hachette and Leadstart, Director (New Concept),
social development consultant (health, education, child rights, child
protection, policy, impact, feasibility), writer, human rights activist
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragssrinivasan?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAD9xZMBdcBsiE7K5Z27A9wNyflaV3B6ZHM>
6d
•
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragssrinivasan?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAD9xZMBdcBsiE7K5Z27A9wNyflaV3B6ZHM>
6 days ago
<https://www.linkedin.com/in/ragssrinivasan?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAAAD9xZMBdcBsiE7K5Z27A9wNyflaV3B6ZHM>
🌟 Exploring Syncretisation at the Chidambaram Temple 🌟
The Chidambaram Temple, renowned for its stunning architecture and
spiritual significance, is a remarkable symbol of religious and cultural
syncretisation in South India. This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva as
Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, also houses a shrine for Lord Vishnu as
Govindaraja Perumal— illustrating the harmonious coexistence of Shaiva and
Vaishnava traditions within a single sacred space.
Syncretisation was not just a spiritual phenomenon but also a political
necessity in the imperial empires like the Chola dynasty. By integrating
Sanskritic gods like Shiva and Vishnu into their worship, the Cholas gained
added legitimacy and connection to the broader pan-Indian traditions.
Simultaneously, by including and venerating local Tamil gods, they won
popularity among the masses, ensuring their rule was stable .
One fascinating example of this syncretisation at Chidambaram is the
inclusion of the deity Thillai Kali, a local goddess worshipped in the
region. The Chola kings incorporated her worship, and her sculpture can be
found in the Chidambaram temple complex. This strategic blending of
Sanskritic and local deities reinforced the Chola dynasty's polital power.
The Chidambaram Temple also exemplifies the blending of Dravidian, Vedic,
and Agamic traditions. The architecture, rituals, and spiritual practices
at the temple are a unique fusion that showcases the deep integration of
these diverse traditions after the period of the Tamil Bhakti saints. Vedic
rituals coexist with Agamic temple worship, while Dravidian architectural
styles are harmonised with the spiritual philosophies of Advaita Vedanta.
The Dikshitars who administer the temple, perform rituals that incorporate
elements from both Vedic and Agamic traditions, maintaining an ancient
continuity of spiritual practice while adapting to the diverse cultural
influences that have shaped the temple over centuries.
Chidambaram is a testament to the cultural confluence that defines Indian
history. It's where divine identities merge, and where political wisdom
meets spiritual devotion. At the same time we cannot forget that it served
as a base for the imperial ambitions of the Cholas.
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