kalipujo @ kayasthpara

kayasthpara is where i stay and i think it hosts the most rocking kali pujo in entire Kolkata.

kali ma is the most complex and powerful goddess with multiple forms. According to the tantras there are over 30 forms of Kali.

the traditional idol of kali is fierce, black in color with large shimmering eyes, mouth smeared with blood as she smiles triumphantly. there is a garland of severed skulls and a skirt of severed arms. she hold a trident which shines like lightning and a knife which has sacred mantras etched on it.

forms of the mother goddess include kali maa (the black goddess), maha kali (the one with great power), nitya kali (who does the dance of destruction), kalika mata (black earth mother), shamshana kali (haunts cremation grounds, in the company of howling jackals and female spirits), sheetla (goddess of small pox), shyama kali (tender mother who is the dispeller of fear and dispenser of boons), kalaratri (dark night) apart from bhadrakali, ugrakali, chandi and many more.


the place of final immersion, at the end of the street is well lit, noisy and always crowded. decorated with lights which represent anything from mythological images like krishna on a chariot to bizarre themes of aesop fables and nursery rhymes.

stalls of junk jewelery, sweets, soft drinks, chaat items and the famous egg roll spring up overnight. the red booth cannot be missed with the wares - T-shirts and posters of che' guevera, books on marxism, badges of netaji bose and the poems of tagore

legend has it that after a fierce battle the goddess devoured the bodies of the slain asuras and danced a fierce dance to celebrate the victory. intoxicated by the blood and in a state of trance, she started harming everyone around. to bring to her senses and stop the anhilation of the world, shiva mingled among the asuras and let her trample upon him.

when kali ma saw that she was dancing over the body of her husband, she put her tongue out in sorrow and regret and this stunned posture is how the idols are shown

pandals are constructed with different themes in mind. goddess on a boat was the theme this year outside my place. there was a dakshineshwar style temple created in another pandal.


there are idols which look like real priests, boatman, beggars, chaat vendors around the pandal. this year one of the beautiful pandals has a large idol of lord shiva which would surface from the water over and over again.

the already prevalent violence in bengal has led to many pandals adopting shyama kali - the more benign form of blue kali, instead of the fierce black kali.

with a milk sweet in her mouth, the goddess is taken to the immersion in a noisy mobile discotheque like procession with laser lights and trance music interspersed with Hindi pop music, tollywood hits and occasionally the more appropriate baul songs of krishna.