THE KALI TEMPLE AT DAKSHINESWAR

The Kali Temple at Dakshineswar is a large building but the shrine which contains the image of the goddess is relatively small.  It affords room only for the officiating priest and just a few worshippers.  All others must crowd on the open terrace outside the shrine or on the marble steps leading down from it.

The reason for this apparent disproportion between the sizes of the temple and the shrine is that Hindus regard a temple as a symbol of the human body.  Within the body of the temple, the shrine symbolizes the heart, the seat of the Atman within a person.

The image of Kali at the temple is small, less than three feet in height.  She is seen standing upon the prostrate body of Shiva, who lies on a silver lotus of a thousand petals.  The figure of Shiva is made of white marble, that of Kali of black basalt.  Kali is dressed in red silk and decorated with ornaments studded with jewels.  She wears a girdle of severed arms and a necklace of skulls, all carved out of marble.

Kali is seen sticking out her tongue, explained by some as a gesture of coyness, by others as a licking up of blood.  She has four arms.  One of her left hands holds a decapitated head, the other a bloody sword.  One of her right hands confers blessings on her devotees, the other is raised in a gesture signifying "be without fear."  This gesture of "be without fear" is similar to one found on statues of the Buddha.

Since she is shown standing upon his prostrate body, it is sometimes incorrectly said that Kali has conquered and destroyed Shiva.  Ramakrishna explained the real meaning of their relationship this way.  Kali stands on Shiva's chest, Shiva lying under her feet like a corpse; Kali's eyes are fixed on Shiva.  This simply denotes the union of Brahman with its Power. 

Brahman does not act, therefore Shiva, representing Brahman, lies on the ground immobile.  Kali, the Power of Brahman, keeps her eyes fixed upon Shiva since she can only act because of Brahman's presence.  Only through Brahman can she create, preserve, and destroy, her role on earth.  According to Ramakrishna, Shiva sanctions everything that Kali does.