#shaktism

[drinkerofsoma]

Ārati to "Boro Kali" at a temple in Sonamukhi, West Bengal

[ritish16]

Lord Shiva as Bhikshatana Moorthi 😇

[kamal-nayan]

I found the cutest painting of shiv-shakti!!

Omg just look at THEM!!!! my parents are the cutest!!

[i-like-to-eat-cotton]

Btw, y'all may have heard that in shakta traditions,Krishna is considered a form of Kali.

Krishnakali is the combined form of Krishna and Kali. This is mentioned in the Devi Bhagvata Purana where Kali is said to have taken the form of Krishna,and in the order of the das Mahavidyas,Kali is associated to Krishna.

Krishna is also often considered the male form of Lalita Tripura Sundari. According to the Padma Purana and Narada Purana,and is worshipped by sadhaks in the combined form of Gopala Sundari

[piss--funeral]

CHINNAMASTĀ छिन्नमस्ता- 19th Century, Kolkata

[pranasakha]

Bengali depictions of Kali Maa

[mrityuloknative]

Mula Prakriti Maha Lakshmi

[starryy-berryy]

seeing a group of people thinking they are being the first ones to think of this grand idea of seeing kali/hindu goddesses as the divine supreme. they feel that theyve done such a progressive thing, how it's an achievement. like they feel that she is a shamed and vilified goddess and how they are the first one to get this oh so great epiphany that yes, she too, is worth worshipping.

girl, there is a certain region of this country which has been doing this for centuries, till the point that devi being the supreme has been engrained into the very culture, the festivals of this region. i'm talking about east india, ofc. yes, while ppl do associate shaktism with bengal, it is equally prominent in mithila and assam.

like...im not saying only WE do this. others also do. im saying this is not a new idea, because some of us have been doing this for generations. for us, she is our maa and beti (depending on errr the circumstances). and we really love and cherish her. plus we love all sorts of devis. we are just kinda underrated and under represented, sadly.

another point to be noted is that the theology of shaivism and vaishnavism seeing shiva/vishnu as the supreme respectively has nothing to do with sexism. neither of them are anti-devi or anti women, for that matter. wo alag baat hai certain followers really go around shaming the entire sect and spewing hate. shaivism and vaishnavism treats devi with the utmost respect, and she is exalted here too. so it's...not a crime if someone doesn't see devi as the supreme...unless the said person is going around saying she cannot be the supreme because she is a female.