Kali Puja is primarily a Bengali festival, held in accordance to the lunar calendar around the first week of November, after nineteen days of the completion of the Durga Puja. Kali is a Hindu goddess associated with death and destruction.
Kali Puja is performed to seek blessings from the deity for protection against drought and war, for general happiness, health, wealth, and peace and overall happiness, for removing the fear, the effect of bad persons’ evil forces or Black magic from their entire family. The puja actually takes place at midnight on the day of the new moon. During the Kali Puja all houses are lit up with candles decorated around the house. During this puja, children and adults are seen to burst firecrackers and lighting multicouloured sprinkling crackers. No one seems to sleep on that night. At some places , pure wine is offered as a religious offering. It is said that female goats and cows are sacrificed to please the God.
The image of Kali is bit frightening and usually shows her with a garland of severed heads in one hand, her sword known as Kharga in the other. She is seen standing on her foot on Lord Shiva’s chest.
There are several other Avtars of Kali . One such is a striking contrast to Ma Kali represented as the Benevolent Mother where she is the personification of Eternal Night of Peace. From the canons of orthodox Hinduism Kali, Durga, Parvati, Lakshmi and Saraswati are all different forms of the Ultimate Power that are revered on different occasions.
Legend:
Long ago the two demons, Shambhu and Nishambhu, disturbed the world of Indra, the king of gods. The gods lost all their optimism with numerous and endless battles. The demons became stronger. The gods took shelter in the Himalayas, the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati. The worried gods asked for fortification from Maa Durga.
Kali took birth from Durga’s forehead as Kal Bhoi Nashini. Kali was created to save the heaven and the earth from the rising brutality of the demons. She went on her way to end the war and kill the demons, along with her two escorts Dakini and Jogini. After killing the demons, Kali made a garland of their hands and wore it around her neck. During this, Kali became hyperactive and started killing whoever came into her way.
The troubled gods asked Shiva for his help. And Shiva made a plan to save the world. Lord Shiva lay down in the path of the storming Kali. When the goddess stepped on Shiva, she recovered her senses.
It is said that Kali developed her thirst for blood after killing the demon Raktavera, who had acquired a boon of rebirth with his each drop of blood from Lord Brahma. The only way Kali could kill him was to hold him high, pierce him with a spear and drink all his blood as it gushed out. Kali is often portrayed with her tongue hanging out and her mouth dripping blood.
