She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kali as a benevolent mother goddess. She is also revered as Bhavatarini (literally 'redeemer of the universe'). Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shakta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change. Since Shiva is called Kala – the eternal time, Kali, his consort, also means 'the Time' or 'Death' (as in time has come). The name Kali comes from kala, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali (Sanskrit: ?, IPA: Bengali: ?), also known as Kalika (Bengali: ?, Kalika), is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy.
