Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25059
Kali, the goddess of destruction, death and renewal. She created this city, embodies it, commands it with her unfeeling will. "Calcutta": the English bas tardization of "Kali-ghat," "place of worship for Mother Kali." This is Her City and also Her Age, the age of darkness, chaos and disbelief. Hindus believe that history has four ages: In the beginning, God Created the Golden Age, when dharma (responsibility and integrity in action) was complete and the path to liber ation pure, but with each successive age, dharma declined by one-fourth, and new scriptures were writ ten when the traditional teachings withered. Now, in the age of Kali ("Kali-Yuga" or "Kaylug"). three fourths of humanity exist in fallacy, lost. Enter Tantra, the modern "knowledge which is spread to save," the path of passion and resig nation, pleasure and pain, power and weakness. Tantric worship of Kali popularized through the late Calcutta Kali-temple priest Sri Ramakrishna (1 836-1886), who proclaimed the essence of all world religions the same and practised Bhakti Yoga, the active giving love of all-seeing beauty in all things, even death. Ramakrishna preached Calcutta's-Kali's-power. In Calcutta, every God-feeling Hindu must make daily puja (prayer sac- ;PHOTO: ZI NFOTO rifices of flowers, money or food) to Her daily. Priests rattle-chant "Maha Kali" in disunison for Her devotees, sacred benedictions after blunt bartering for money, continuous Tantric ritual spiritual transfer. The Western movie-aping teenagers, the . fat rich, the old grandmas in their simple white cotton, all come. Young weeping women burn their hands on the fire flame, then drop to the floor; they kiss Her feet. A young priest makes "special puja" in the corner, sweetly earnest in his asceticism, his Yoga. They all need Her blessing and fear Her wrath . Pholu �1"11� .l\rdph< of Ihe Sccrif'�'al Area blStrklly Prohib"led "