KALI MA (Black Mother) is the goddess of death. She is easily recognized by her black skin, three eyes, and blood-red mouth and extended tongue.

Her most important temple, Kalighat, is located in Calcutta, and she is regarded as one of the principal deities of West Bengal. The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat, which is on the banks of the Hooghly (Bhagirathi) river along with number of other very sacred sites such as the Dakineswar Kali temple and Belur Math, headquarters of the Ramakrishna spiritual movement.

At Belur Math, I was waiting for a girl I met to have her palm read by an astrologist/astropalmist, and before long, a procession of grade school kids on their way home from school began to pass by the area where I was hanging out. 

Gradually, a few started to become curious as to who I was and why I was there, and began talking to me in order to test their English skills.  I happily decided to use the opportunity to speak to them in Hindi. 

Before long, there was a huge crowd of kids all around me.  Although I explained where in India my family was from, their knowledge of geography was somewhat limited because they were so young.

I often carry art supplies with me in India and I decided to clarify the situation by making a small sketch.  “OK, India is like a slice of pizza; here’s Calcutta, here’s Delhi, here’s Bombay, and here’s Lucknow, where my Dad is from.”

Because we were in Calcutta, I decided to draw Kali devouring the slice of pizza, inhabiting her role as the goddess of destruction.

Although Kali is regarded as the destroyer or liberator and is depicted in a terrifying form, she is considered to deliver bliss to worshippers. The Kalighat temple attracts numerous devotees throughout the year.  Human sacrifice to Kali is banned now, but there are frequent animal sacrifices there, and occasionally a severed human head will appear on the altar.