Goddess Kali is represented with perhaps the fiercest features amongst all the world's deities. She has ten arms, with holds several weapons in Her hands, a string of skulls as Her necklace, and a girdle made of human hands as Her clothing. Her tongue protrudes from Her mouth, Her eyes are red, and Her face and breasts are sullied with blood. Kali is free from the illusory covering, for she is beyond the all maya or "false consciousness." Kali's garland of fifty human heads that stands for the fifty letters in the Sanskrit alphabet, symbolizes infinite knowledge. She stands with one foot on the thigh, and another on the chest of her husband, Shiva.
As per the legend behind Goddess Kaali's standing on what appears to be Shiva's corpse, it translates as follows:
Once Goddesss Kali had destroyed all the demons in battle, She began a terrific dance out of the sheer joy of victory. All the worlds or lokas began to tremble and sway under the impact of her dance. So, at the request of all the Gods, Shiva himself asked Her to desist from this behavior. However, She was too intoxicated to listen. Hence, Shiva lay like a corpse among the slain demons in order to absorb the shock of the dance into himself. When Goddess Kali eventually stepped upon Shiva, She realized She was trampling and hurting Her husband and bit Her tongue in shame.
Make: Made in heavy shining brass. The idol is placed on an oval pedestal.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity. It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals. The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions: 6 inches (H) x 5 inches (L) x 2.75 inches (depth)
Weight: 1.3 kgs
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors, but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it. Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it. This is truly a wonder and a miracle. The picture comes to life. The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems. The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol. The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram, Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point. They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite". As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29, v 55-7), persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it: "Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to, it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber. Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."