South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c10.s2.33

c10.s2.33

Chāmuṇḍā¹ may be represented with eight, ten (fig. 123), twelve or sixteen arms and made either of wood or of mortar. When in the dancing posture she must have eight, six or four hands. Chāmuṇḍā is known by the name Karālī or Bhadrakālī when she has eight arms, Kālabhadrā when she has six arms, and Kālī, when she has four. Bhadrakālī has a terrible face, fat breasts, protruding teeth and a long tongue and wears a garland of skulls. She rides on a lion and stamps under her foot the head of the buffalo-demon. Hēmādri quoting the Viṣṇudharmōttara says that Bhadrakālī has eighteen arms and is seated in the ālīdha posture in a car drawn by four lions. When worshipped by Brāhmaṇas she has ten arms, the jaṭāmakuta and all ornaments. The second, Kālabhadrā, has a beautiful white form but is fierce, being worshipped in burial-grounds under the name of Karālabhadrā, seated in the virāsana posture with the foot placed over the head of the buffalo-demon. The same goddess, when worshipped by the Kshatriyas, is called Kālī or Mahākālī.² In this form she ordinarily holds a trident or sword in one hand and a skull or a cup of wine (fire?) in the other, rides on a corpse and has a lean stomach. The owl is her vehicle. She wears the tiger's skin, a scarf of elephant's hide and a garland of heads; has three eyes and ear-ornaments shaped like conches; and is fond of flesh, blood and life. She is followed by evil spirits who fill the four quarters with their roar and she roams about the earth riding on their shoulders. Hēmādri, calling her also by the name Sivarātrī, describes her as having four hands, being black like collyrium, terrible with protruding teeth and tongue (but at the same time beautiful with broad eyes and slender waist), wearing a garland of trunks (of human bodies) and a wreath of serpents.