Kalikula (the Shakta tradition of Kali)

What Kalikula is

According to Teun Goudriaan, worship in the Kaula tradition is in principle divided into three according to which Shakti is held supreme, Sri (Tripura), Kali or Tara; in Bengal the difference between Kali and Tara has almost disappeared and Kali is the main deity. The division that matters today is between Srikula and Kalikula: Srikula centres on the benign, lovely aspect of the Goddess and Kalikula on her frightening form. Goudriaan writes that the unusual rites of Kalikula Tantric practice make it difficult today for a householder to follow.

According to June McDaniel, in Bengal classical Shakta Tantra is traditionally called the Kalikula, the lineage of Kali; it is part of the Kaula Tantric tradition and worships the Great Goddess and the Mahavidyas. A Bengali practitioner told her that the northern Kalikula is found in Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha and worships the ten Mahavidyas, especially Kali, Tara, Chhinnamasta and Bagala. McDaniel quotes Narendranath Bhattacharyya that the followers of Kalikula are wholly monist: for them Shakti is Brahman itself in its aspects of being, consciousness and bliss.

History in brief

According to McDaniel these traditions are very hard to date, but Kalikula is usually considered older than Srikula; she quotes Goudriaan and Sanjukta Gupta that the beginnings of Kalikula literature can be traced back further than those of Srikula. In Bengal the Tantrasara of Krishnananda Agamavagisha (16th century), with its meditations on and rites for the goddesses, is a leading text of the tradition.

In the 18th century Ramprasad Sen (1720–1781) began a tradition of simple, heartfelt songs addressing Kali as mother, called Shyama sangit; McDaniel calls him the main originator of the new Shakta movement. In the 19th century Ramakrishna Paramahamsa became priest of the new Kali temple at Dakshineswar in Kolkata; according to Wikipedia the temple was built by Rani Rashmoni and completed in 1855. Bamakhepa of Tarapith is also counted among the famous Shakta saints of Bengal.

Beliefs and practice

According to McDaniel, in classical Shakta Tantra Shakti is the supreme deity, inseparable from her consort Shiva: both are aspects of the one eternal Brahman, like fire and its heat. Shakti created the world, sustains and destroys it, and all the gods have their power from her. Its philosophy is also called shaktadvaitavada, the non-dualism of Shakti. The tradition stresses ritual action (kriya) and mantra practice alongside meditation, and in worship the devotee is identified with the Goddess. According to Wikipedia Ramakrishna taught that Brahman and Kali are not different, as fire is not different from its power to burn.

The ten Mahavidyas are at the centre of the tradition. According to Kinsley the usual list is Kali, Tara, Shodashi (Tripura Sundari), Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala; but two manuscripts of the Mundamala Tantra alone give different lists, one of ten names and one of thirteen. Kinsley notes that Kali and Tara are both associated with the cremation ground, and that the temples at Kalighat and Tarapith both stand beside one.

In Bengal Kali Puja is held on the new-moon night of Dipavali (Wikipedia), and according to McDaniel Durga Puja and Kali Puja are the two biggest festivals of West Bengal, with the most elaborate images and pandals.

Main centres

According to Kinsley Kali’s most famous temple is Kalighat in Kolkata, and Tara’s most famous place is Tarapith in the Birbhum district of Bengal; a Tantric myth names Kamakhya in Assam and Tarapith in Bengal as important centres of Tara worship. At Dakshineswar the Goddess is worshipped as Bhavatarini (Kali), and the temple is linked with Ramakrishna. According to Wikipedia Kalikula is found in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Mithila, Odisha and Nepal, and was once part of the Kaula tradition of Kashmir too.

Where the sources differ

• How many kulas: Goudriaan gives three, Sri, Kali and Tara, of which Kali and Tara have nearly merged in Bengal; Wikipedia and McDaniel give two main streams, Srikula in the South and Kalikula in the northeast.
• Which is older: McDaniel says Kalikula is usually considered the older tradition (following Goudriaan and Gupta); Goudriaan also writes that the worship of Sri was the first to be systematised.
• Region: McDaniel’s informant names Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Odisha; Wikipedia West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Mithila, Odisha and Nepal; Goudriaan writes that Kali is popular in Kerala too.
• The list of Mahavidyas: Kinsley gives the usual ten but notes that one manuscript of the Mundamala Tantra names thirteen, among them Annapurna, Durga and Padmavati; the order too varies with the text.

Frequently asked questions