Kali Puja and it’s facts

  • Culture
  • Riya
  • Nov 13,2020
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Kali Puja is a propitious Hindu festival dedicated to the Goddess Kali. Kali Puja is one of the biggest festivals that are celebrated mostly in the eastern part of the country. Nowadays, along with Durga Puja, Kali Puja is also one of the biggest festivals in West Bengal, Orissa, and Assam. As the puja takes place in the middle of the night, it is also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja. Every year Kali Puja and Diwali fall on the same day or at times a day before Diwali.

Kali Puja is celebrated to get blessings of Goddess Kali for general happiness, health, wealth, and peace and also to seek the help of her in destroying evil. It is believed that goddess Kali cut down all kinds of impurities and ward-off negative waves around us.

Goddess Kali is an aggressive form of Goddess Durga, depicted with a fierce face. It is believed that Goddess Kali was born from the forehead of Goddess Durga to save heaven and earth from cruel demons. Goddess Kali is believed to destroy evil and egoism and fight for justice.

Being the personification of the female power Shakti, Goddess Kali wielded to kill all the demons. The killing of the demons increased her blood lust, which took hold and she started killing anyone she felt had done a wrong. Goddess Kali was only stopped when Lord Shiva intervened and lay down in front of her. That is why in art, Goddess Kali is often depicted with her tongue hanging out, depicting the moment when she realized she had stood on Lord Shiva and her rage subsided.

Devotees perform the Kali Puja rituals using red hibiscus flowers as it is said to be Goddess Kali’s favorite. Rice, lentils, and sweets are also offered to the goddess. Ramakrishna and Bamakhepa were the two famous Bengali Kali devotees.

Kali Puja is not an ancient festival. It gained popularity in the 18th century. It was popularised in Bengal by King Krishnachandra of Krishnanagar, Nadia, becoming a key festival in the 19th century.

Few famous temples like the Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, the Kalikhetra Temple in Bhubaneswar, and the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, worshipped Goddess Kali as Lakshmi on this day so as to reflect an essence of Vaishnava Haldar’s on Kali worship. Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in her three forms, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali, and Maha Saraswati on this day. These temples are visited by thousands of devotees who give offerings to the goddess. The famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata is also dedicated to Goddess Kali, where the famous Kali devotee Ramakrishna lived and performed rites.