Mother and child with painting of the goddess Kali, Pavagadh Hill, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat State, India
Pavagadh Hill is a basaltic volcanic core, 800 m high, rising from the plains in the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, in Gujarat, western India, a UNESCO World Heritage site. At its base is the historical city of Champaner, while the hill station of Pavagadh was built upon the volcanic cone itself. It's a long hard climb up the pilgrim's path on Pavagadh Hill to reach the Kalika Mata (the Black Mother) temple at the top, which was built in the 10th to 11th century. It is one of the biggest tourist and pilgrimage centers in Gujarat, attracting large numbers of people every year, and it is traditional to make a pilgrimage here at least once in a lifetime. This image, taken near the top of the rope way, shows a mother and child in a shop with wall painting of the Indian goddess Kali and the pilgrim path to the Kalika Mata Temple, Pavagadh Hill, Gujurat, India. Kali is portrayed in two forms: the ten-armed form, and the popular four-armed form, seen here. In both of her forms, she is described as being black in color, but is most often depicted as blue in popular Indian art, as seen here. Her eyes are described as red with rage, her hair is disheveled, small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling. She is often shown naked, or, as here, wearing a skirt made of human arms and a garland of human heads. She is usually depicted standing on a seemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the right-handed path.
Size: 3500px × 2800px
Location: Pavagadh Hill, Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, Gujarat State, India
Photo credit: © Terry Allen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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