Revision History

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12/1/2024, 10:33 PM Mike C update #117
10/6/2024, 9:08 PM Mike C update #116
11/20/2020, 10:42 PM Mike C update #109
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
7/2/2017, 10:39 PM Mike C update #95
1/10/2017, 9:56 AM Mike C update #94
12/3/2014, 12:28 AM Mike C update #89
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Feminine & Masculine
Scripts काली(Sanskrit) কালী(Bengali) காளி(Tamil)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈkɑː.l̪iː/(Sanskrit) /ˈkɑː.li/(English) /ˈkaː.ɭɪ/(Tamil)

Meaning & History

Means "the black one", derived from Sanskrit काल (kāla) meaning "black". The Hindu goddess Kali is the fierce destructive form of the wife of Shiva. According to stories in the Puranas, she springs from the forehead of Durga in order to defeat various demons. She is typically depicted with black skin and four arms, holding a severed head and brandishing a sword. As a personal name, it is generally masculine in India.