Polished Bronze Dancing Kali Statue 21"

The Hindu Goddess Kali is the malevolent form of Devi.  She is associated with eternal energy, "She who destroys".  The name Kali comes from kāla, which means "the black one".  Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Death". Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change.

The Story of Kali:  To aid her son in his endeavor to rid the three worlds of the multiplying demon, Raktabija, Parvati entered the cosmic battlefield as the dreaded goddess Kali - dark as death, gaunt with sunken eyes, gaping mouth, with long disheveled hair covering her naked body.

Kali spread her tongue over the battlefield and licked the demon's falling blood catching on her long, outstretched tongue before the drop could find it's way to the ground springing a demonic life anew.  Raktabija, without his multiplying numbers was left powerless.  Skanda was able to dispatch Raktabija and all his remaining duplicates with ease.

Skanda, guardian of the heavens, went on to destroy many demons who opposed the reign of the gods.  But he could not defeat the demon Raktabija.  Whenever this demon's blood touched the ground, a thousand new demons sprang to life.  He seemed unconquerable.

Skanda thanked his mother for her timely help.  To celebrate her victory, Kali danced wildly on the battlefield, bedecking herself with a garland of served heads and a girdle of severed hands.

Shiva Calms Kali:  Intoxicated with Raktabija's blood, Kali ran a muck across the three worlds, destroying everything and everyone in her sight.
To restrain her, Shiva took the form of a corpse and blocked her path.  As the goddess, blinded by blood lust, tripped on his lifeless body, she was jolted out of her frenzy.  She wondered if she had killed her own husband.  She placed a foot on Shiva's chest and brought him back to life.

Shiva then took the form of a little child and began to cry, stirring maternal love in the heart of Kali.  This forced her to shed her fierce form; Kali became Gauri, the radiant mother, bestower of life.

Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues of India and the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece.
All the South Indian bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For both polished golden bronzes and antique patina bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.

Many of our bronze Hindu statues have been placed in outdoor temples. Bronze's durability makes it perfect for cold winters and hot summers of any climate. We suggest you bathe the sculpture every couple of months so that dirt does not collect on the sculpture and then use a cotton cloth with some natural oil to give the statue a shine. Both indoors and outdoors a bronze statue can be left alone which, overtime, will give the bronze an antique patina.

On some bronze statues you can see small hints of lime green, verde-gris patina. Some people prize this color for its age others want to remove it. If you would like to remove the verde-gris use a tooth brush with some coconut oil or other natural oil and lightly go over the verde-gris. This should remove the unwanted patina from the sculpture.

Polished Gold Bronze: Many temples and homes prefer the highly polished gold bronze for temples or home altars. In order to give the statue a bright polished sheen we recommend using a cotton rag and buffing the piece. An acid like tamarind or lemon juice will help aid this process. This takes time and effort to bring out the polish. If you are looking for a short cut; some of our customers have used a product called Brasso which has been good at bringing a tarnished golden piece back to its golden shine.

If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

Bangladeshi Bronze is an extremely durable metal made from a combination of 5 metals; copper, iron, tin, with minute additions of silver and gold. This combination is called Panchaloha bronze and is the basis for making the sacred Hindu temple statues around the world. Copper is the most prevalent metal in the alloy. Copper also gives the metal a softer composition that allows the bronze artisans to carve the details that are prevalent in each piece. All the Bangleshi bronze sculpture Lotus Sculpture carries are Panchaloham and thus suited for any home altar or community temple.

Because of the durability of the metal not much is needed to maintain a bronze sculpture. Many of our customers purchase a bronze statue and perform daily puja and abhisheka consisting of bathing the Hindu deity in ghee, milk, coconut milk or other liquids. In this case nothing is needed to keep the statue clean as it will be bathed daily. If the sculpture is used for "darshan" or simply viewing the sculpture it is best to dust the statue as needed so no dirt collects in the details of the sculpture. For Bangladeshi bronze statues if you would like the sculpture to shine, use a cotton cloth with some coconut oil or other natural oil to wipe down the piece as needed.
If you have any questions concerning your bronze statue please email us at [email protected] or call us at 1(760) 994-4455.

USA Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping. The shipping charge is automatically calculated by UPS for shipping within the United States. Each sculpture is usually shipped within 24 hours of the order with the exception of the weekend.
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page.  Besides the shipping price, the results will also display the date the statue will arrive at your home. Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.

International Shipping

This sculpture is in our Oceanside, California store and ready for immediate shipping to anywhere in the world. ​International shipping charges will be calculated automatically upon checkout. ​
You can obtain a shipping quote for any statue by clicking the link, Calculate Shipping beneath to the Add To Cart button on every statues' page.  Or you can email [email protected] or call us 760-994-4455 to receive a shipping quote. Please include the item number of the statue you are interested in purchasing as well as your country and postal code.​ Lotus Sculpture uses Instapak foam injection packing system or bubble wrap and recycled peanuts to ensure that all our pieces arrive undamaged. Click here to learn more about Lotus Sculptures packing.