Beyond Belief

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Beyond Belief: Fierce and Feminine: Kali and Shakti

Fierce and Feminine: Kali and Shakti

BBC Radio 4 - Beyond Belief, Fierce and Feminine: Kali and Shakti

Ernie Rea discovers the Hindu idea of a divine feminine force.

Visiting the British Museum to see a brand new sculpture of the fearsome Hindu Goddess Kali, Ernie Rea explores the idea of Shakti, a divine feminine force.

She wears a necklace of severed human heads with blood dripping from their necks. Her tongue is bright scarlet and sticking out. She carries a bloodied sword.

Meet Kali, a Hindu goddess who is one embodiment of the Hindu principle called Shakti, meaning energy, power or force. Who is Kali and what does she represent?

We’re embracing some of the ideas of shakti in the West. You can take kundalini yoga classes or meditation courses to access your divine feminine energy. What is the philosophy behind these practices?

Join Ernie Rea as he visits the British Museum to see a new statue of the female Goddess, part of a new exhibition called 'Feminine Power: From The Divine to the Demonic'. Curator Belinda Crerer and dancer and devotee of Kali, Indrani Datta, tell him more.

Plus Ernie is joined by experts in the Shakti tradition Sumita Ambasta, Lavanya Vemsani and Acharya Vidyabhaskar. 

Producer: Rebecca Maxted
Editor: Helen Grady

Image: Kali Murti, Kaushik Ghosh, India, 2022. Image © The Trustees of the British Museum

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