View allAll Photos Tagged PROSPECT!
Seen in Basingstoke in January 2025 picking up enroute to the Isle of Wight is Prospect of Lye's Scania K410CB6 / Irizar i6S Efficient C44FLT PR24DOR, new in 5/2024. The coach wears Just Go! Holidays premium brand 'JG Explorer' livery, one of 5 such examples operated by partner coach firms Alpine, Crosskeys, Hunter, Prospect and Taylors.
Operator: Prospect Coaches
Vehicle Type: ADL Javelin / Plaxton Profile
Registration: PR57 TCC
Pictured in Halesowen working a shuttle for Halesowen College.
14/10/2022.
Designer: Tan Yaopeng (譚耀彭)
1957, December
Prospect of Lushan
Lushan qianjing (廬山前景)
Call nr.: PC-1957-016 (Private collection)
More? See: chineseposters.net
Got this without the Kids in view though these were older, i get a bit funny about taking pictures when the schools arnt off the coaches as some people could get funny about it, a bloke standing on the corner with a camera in his hand. Also droping off at the rep theatre was Prospect Coaches PD11TRD a Dennis Javelin / Plaxton Profile C70F. Photo taken 08/01/14
The first victim of the Beeching Cuts and remains in good structural condition despite the many leaks.
New York, Brooklyn
Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park is located in the eastern part of Prospect Park on the northeast shore of The Lake. It was built in 1905-07 to a classical design of Helmle, Hudswell and Huberty.
It now houses the Audubon Center, the Audubon Society's only urban interpretive center in the United States.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The Boathouse was seen in Scorsese's movie: The Age Of Innocence (1993) as the Boston park where Archer Newland(Day-Lewis) meets Ellen Olenska(Pfeiffer)
Built 1885 for Frederick Dewar Beach & wife Elizabeth & named “Audley House”, converted to flats 1917, purchased & renamed “Verona” by Blackfriars School & used as boarding house 1960-1968, then as priests’ home, sold 1994, now private & renamed Audley House.
“Mr. Bertie Beach, third son of Mr. F. D. Beach, of Audley House, Prospect, took his passage by the ever popular ship Torrens on Tuesday week for a nine months' trip to England and the Continent.” [Quiz, Adelaide 11 Apr 1890]
“Laundress. Apply Thursday or Friday, between 10 and 12, Mrs. Beach, Audley House, Prospect.” [Advertiser 4 May 1894 advert]
“The marriage of the Right Hon. Samuel James Way (Chief Justice of South Australia) to Mrs. W. A. S. Blue (widow of Dr. Blue, of Hahndorf) was very quietly celebrated on the afternoon of Easter Monday, The time and place of the ceremony were kept very secret. . . Audley House, Prospect, the residence of Mrs. F. D. Beach, eldest sister of the Chief Justice, was the scene of the bridal.” [Quiz & Lantern 14 Apr 1898]
“Mrs. Beach, of Audley House, Prospect, has issued cards for an ‘At home’ on Tuesday, August 2. Those who have enjoyed Mrs. Beach's hospitality in the past can look forward to an enjoyable time, as the hostess and her daughters spare no efforts in the entertainment of their numerous guests.” [Quiz & Lantern 28 Jul 1898]
“The engagement is announced of Miss Jessie Napier, only daughter of Dr. Leith Napier, of Angas-street, to Mr. Sydney E. Beach, of ‘Audley House’, Prospect.” [Critic, Adelaide 4 Jul 1906]
“Mrs. Sydney Beach, of Audley House, Prospect, is ‘receiving’ on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week.” [Critic, Adelaide 7 Nov 1906]
“Good Cook immediately also. Laundry Housemaid references Apply mornings Mrs Beach, Audley House, Prospect.” [Advertiser 2 Mar 1907 advert]
“Experienced Nurse for three (3) children; youngest 16 months. Apply Mrs. Beach, ‘Audley House’, Prospect.” [Advertiser 16 Aug 1913 advert]
“For Sale. . . ’Audley House’, Prospect. . . The well-known residence of Colonel S. E. Beach, comprising 14 rooms. . . large laundry, garage, stabling, man's room, underground tank (10,000 gallons), conservatories, lawns, fruit and ornamental trees, etc, etc.” [Advertiser 19 Sep 1917 advert]
“Audley Estate, Prospect. Col S. E. Beach has decided, to have his valuable property on the Prospect road subdivided into building sites. 'Audley House', which comprises about 14 rooms, will be made available for purchase with about one acre of land. The balance of the land — between 2 and 3 acres — will be subdivided.” [The Mail 22 Sep 1917]
“Early in the New Year it is proposed to adapt the well-known 'Audley House' to provide Two Superior Suites of Rooms, unfurnished (6 on ground floor, 7 on first floor). The Rooms are lofty, spacious, and well lighted. Each Suite will have separate conveniences, lovely grounds, shadehouses, garage, stabling, &c. Electric cars pass the frontage.” [The Mail 22 Dec 1917]
“The work of converting Audley House, Prospect, into flats has been satisfactorily completed under the supervision of Mr. J, H. Laity, architect.” [The Mail 2 Mar 1918]
“To Let, Flat, unfurnished, self-contained, Four Rooms, Balconies, in Audley House, Prospect; Garage; fine Grounds.” [Register 5 Mar 1919 advert]
“Äuction. . . 'Audley House'. Prospect Rd., Prospect. A Stately Two-Storey Residence, substantially built of stone, containing 14 rms. . . front and side balconies. 3 bathrms., pantries, presses, domestic conveniences, and extensive stone and brick outbuildings. 'Audley House', at present let as three residential flats, could be advantageously subdivided to provide more flats, or is highly suited for a Hostel, Guest Home, Hospital, or an Institution of some kind. . . spacious, well-kept grounds. . . beautiful- trees and shrubs, occupies a good position near tram stop. . . To be sold subject to existing tenancies.” [The Mail 16 Mar 1946 advert]
FREDERICK DEWE BEACH
“BEACH.— [Died] On the 14th November, at his residence, Audley House, Prospect, Frederick Dewe Beach.”[Register 15 Nov 1895]
“Mr. Frederick Dewe Beach. . . was the son of Mr. Charles Beach, of Audley House, North Audley-street, London, and was born on March 14, 1829. He was educated at Mordant Hall, Kent, and served his apprenticeship with Messrs. Hewett & Co, confectioners and caterers, of Regent-street, London. . . He left England for Adelaide at the age of 21 in the ship Sibella. . . After being in business for a few years in this city Mr Beach left for the Victorian goldfields and worked at Ballarat, Bendigo, Forest Creek, and other rushes. . . on his return he opened a confectioner's establishment in Brown-street, removing afterwards to the precent premises in Hindley-street. . . Mr. Beach married the eldest daughter of the Rev. James Way who survives him. The family consists of Messrs. Fred, Sydney, Herbert and Frank Beach, and Misses Jeanie and Olive Beach.” [Advertiser 15 Nov 1895]
“BEACH.— [Died] On the 7th May, at her residence, Audley House, Prospect, Elizabeth, relict of Frederick Dewe Beach, and eldest daughter of the late Rev. James Way.” [Evening Journal 8 May 1903]
“Mrs. Beach, widow of the late Mr. F. D. Beach. . . was a sister of the Lieut Governor (Rt. Hon. Sir Samuel Way), Mrs. Allan Campbell, and the late Dr. Way. . . well known in philanthropic circles. . . Adelaide Children's Hospital. . . North Adelaide Baptist Church. The family consists of five sons, Mjr. S. E. Beach, Messrs. Fred, F. J., Frank, and Herbert Beach, and two daughters, Mrs. Hugo Leschen, and Mrs. L. W. Yemm. Mjr. Beach is at present in Queensland, and Messrs. F. J„ and Frank Beach are in Sydney.” [Evening Journal 7 May 1903]
SYDNEY EDWIN BEACH
“BEACH—NAPIER.— [Married] On the 3rd October, at Chalmers Church, North-terrace, Adelaide, by the Rev. D. Paton, assisted by the Rev. John Thorne, Sydney Edwin, second son of the late F. D. Beach, of Audley House, Prospect, to Jessie Mellis, daughter of Dr. Leith Napier, of Angas-street, Adelaide.” [Advertiser 8 Dec 1906]
“BEACH.— [Died] On the 15th March. Sydney E. Beach, dearly loved husband of Jessie Beach, 37 Wood street, Millswcod. Aged 74 years.” [Advertiser 17 Mar 1934]
“CoL Sydney Beach. . . As a very young man, he had the good fortune to 'get in early' to Broken Hill shares He joined the Stock Exchange of Adelaide when it began in 1887. . . He was a nephew of a former Chief Justice, Sir Samuel Way, to whom he often acted as A.D.C.” [The Mail 24 Mar 1934]
“BEACH.— [Died] On October 29, at private hospltal, Jessie Mellis, beloved widow of Sydney Edwin Beach.” [Advertiser 31 Oct 1947]
“Mrs. Jessie Mellis Beach. . . was a sister of the Lieutenant Governor (Sir Mellis Napier). She was the widow of Mr. Sydney Edwin Beach, and has left two sons and a daughter.” [Advertiser 31 Oct 1947]
Built 1860s for James Harrington, limeburner & local Council member, transferred 1885 to Frederick William Bullock, purchased 1946 by Prospect Council, public park created & house leased as function centre, demolished 1972, the site is now a St Helen’s Park, with only the coach house surviving.
“Messrs. Brown & Thomson have carried out the following works. . . Erection of two capital family dwellings at Prospect Village for Mr. James Harrington. They are square, substantial buildings, two storeys in height, containing large drawing and dining rooms, entrance hall, study, kitchens, offices, &c., on the ground floor, and numerous bedrooms, bath, &c., on the second floor. There are side balconies and verandahs in front.” [Register 28 Jan 1867]
“Petition from ratepayers in the District of Yatala, praying for the formation of a new district, to be called the District of Prospect, and nominating Messrs. James Harrington, John Rosser, John Williams, Joel Roberts, and Robt. Martin, as Councillors.” [Advertiser 10 Apr 1868]
“For about 10 years, the Wesleyans have been holding their services and conducting a Sunday-school at Prospect in a room provided by the liberality of the late Mr. James Harrington, but circumstances having necessitated the erection of a larger building, it has been decided to build a chapel which would answer both purposes. On Monday, September 14, the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the new edifice. . . a silver trowel was presented to Mrs. Harrington,” [Express & Telegraph 16 Sep 1874]
“A meeting of the creditors of Mr. James Harrington, of Prospect, limeburner, was held at the office of Messrs. Attenborough and Giles. . . It was resolved that the estate should be assigned to Mr. F. W. Bullock.” [Adelaide Observer 1 Jan 1887]
“Housemaid Wanted; references required. Apply to Mrs. F. W. Bullock, St. Helen's, Prospect.” [Express & Telegraph 7 Feb 1888 advert]
“Good General Servant Wanted, must cook and iron well; also thorough housemaid; references required. Apply to Mrs. F. W. Bullock, St. Helens, Prospect.” [Express & Telegraph 9 Jan 1890 advert]
“the civic garden party given on Saturday afternoon as St. Helen's, Prospect, by His Worship the Mayor of Adelaide and Mrs. F. W. Bullock. . . The residence of the Mayor stands in spacious grounds well suited for a garden party, as the house is some distance back from the road with ample lawns and shrubbery in front. There were over 400 invitations issued.” [Register 21 Dec 1891]
“Prospect. Commodious House, Known as ‘St Helen’s’, and Building Block. . . comprising 8 Acres and commodious House. 14 rooms, with washhouse large underground tank, laundry, bathrooms, cellar, &e., together with stabling for 3 or 4 horses, large carriage shed, garden planted with choice flowers and shrubs. Water service throughout, with numerous standpipes at convenient distances. Lawn, arbors, summer houses, tennis court, &c. Two paddocks, with large hay shed. . . The most eastern paddock, comprising about 3½ acres, has been subdivided into convenient Building Blocks. . . The present horse tramway which passes the estate will shortly be superseded by electric trams, which will bring this property within 15 minutes of the city.” [Advertiser 14 Jan 1911 advert]
“Mr. Bullock's own property, ‘St. Helens’, at Prospect, comprising 8 acres, a 14-roomed house, outhouses, garden, orangery, and vacant land, but no bid was received for the complete estate. It was then subdivided, the residence and 3¼ acres being offered, also without commanding a bid.” [Advertiser 26 Jan 1911]
“Messrs. F. W. Bullock & Company will hold an auction sale on the ground, of building lots, being second subdivision in St. Helen's Estate, Prospect. . . Upset price, £1 per foot.” [Advertiser 28 Sep 1917]
“Messrs. F. W. Bullock & Co., conducted a successful sale of the further subdivision of St. Helen's Estate. . . There was a large number of buyers present, and every allotment was sold at satisfactory prices up to 30/- per foot.” [Register 2 Oct 1917]]
“Wanted, Handy Man. with good references, for garden and general work. Apply evening, after 7 o’clock, F. W. Bullock, ‘St. Helen's’, Prospect.” [Advertiser 11 Nov 1920 advert]
“A garden fair in-aid of the Kuitpo Industrial Colony scheme was opened this afternoon by Rev. S. Forsyth at. St Helens, the home of Mr. F. W. Bullock, Prospect.” [News 17 Apr 1931]
“St. Helens, Prospect. The Residence of the Late Mr. F. W. Bullock. . . auction. . . The House is an imposing two-storey, one of the older type standing well back from the road, with high ceilings, massive walls (the Interior walls are 18 in. thick), and large, airy rooms, always cool, giving an atmosphere of solid home comfort. The wide front verandah (Minton tiled) and balcony above overlook a large expanse of garden and lawn, with stately sums and other trees and numerous shrubs beyond. There are 14 rooms. . . On either side of the asphalt yard are commodious and substantial stone and galvanised iron buildings, comprising stabling and garage accommodation, workshop, man's room, etc. and there are numerous other outbuildings. The Land. . . has an area or 4 acres. . . abuts Koonga avenue on the east, and is adaptable for subdivision. The Gardener’s Cottage. . . containing 3 rooms, electric light, gas and wood stoves, etc.” [The Mail 3 Oct 1931]
“St. Helens, Prospect. . . Applications are Invited for Lease.” [Advertiser 17 Oct 1931]
“Mr. and Mrs. R. G. Bullock, of St. Helens, Prospect, have issued Invitations for an at home on Wednesday next.” [Advertiser 30 Mar 1934]
“A children's fair will be held on Saturday in Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bullock's garden. St. Helen's, Prospect road, Prospect, in aid of the Fighting Forces Comforts Fund. There will be entertainment for children of all ages. For the adults there will be a cake stall, and afternoon tea will be served.” [Advertiser 15 Nov 1939
“Mrs. Roy Bullock has lent her home, St. Helen's, Prospect, for two bridge parties tomorrow afternoon and evening, to assist the funds of the Babies' Home, Walkerville. About 40 tables have been booked, and four rooms will be available for play.” [News 15 Jul 1940]
“In the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Bullock's home, St. Helen's, Prospect, the Red Cross Handicraft Shop is holding a sale of disabled soldiers' work this afternoon. There is also a stall containing articles made by members of the S.A. Crippled Children's Association. . . Afternoon tea on the lawn is being served under big, gay umbrellas. Goods made by the disabled soldiers covered a wide range in prices, from 9d. to £1.” [News 8 Oct 1940]
“Prospect City Council has decided to buy St. Helen's, a well-known property on Prospect road, for municipal purposes. The land comprises more than three acres, and there is a 15-roomed house on it. . . providing that the property should be used for municipal purposes and not for subdividing.” [News 19 Feb 1946]
“A petition received by the Prospect City Council last night suggested that St. Helen's, a property on Prospect road, recently purchased by the council, should be used for a community hospital.” [Advertiser 16 Apr 1946]
“St. Helen's, a historic property of more than four acres on Prospect road, will soon be declared open by Prospect City Council as a public park. The park will cater specially for visitors The 15-roomed house and a small area of land have been leased to Mr. H. A. Morgan, of Unley, who will establish a tea garden on the north side. In addition, he will cater for parties, social functions, wedding receptions, and private dinners. Lawn tennis courts. . . children's playground. . . Prospect Council this week agreed that the property should be known as St. Helen's Park.” [News 21 May 1948]
“St. Helen's Town House, Prospect road, Prospect, will be officially opened tonight with a 6 o'clock cocktail party for 230 guests. The opening ceremony will be performed by Mrs. R. G. Bullock, wife of the former owner of the picturesque old family mansion, and the Mayor of Prospect (Mr. D. L. Stevens). . . The house has been turned into a charmingly formal place for receptions and dining-out, with upstairs accommodation for resident guests.” [News 14 Jul 1948]
JAMES HARRINGTON
“HARRINGTON.— [Died] On the 5th August, at his residence. Prospect, after a long and painful illness, James Harrington, Esq., aged 61 years. A colonist of 37 years.” [Advertiser 5 Aug 1873]
“HARRINGTON.— [Died] On the 18th October, at Childers street, North. Adelaide, Amelia, relict, of the late James Harrington, Stone Hall, Prospect, aged 85 years. A colonist of 62 years” [Express & Telegraph 19 Oct 1899]
FREDERICK WILLIAM BULLOCK
“BULLOCK—BOWEN.— [Married] On the 23rd September, at the Flinders-street Baptist Church, by the Rev. S. Mead, M.A. LL.B., Frederick William, son of John Bullock, to Harriett daughter the late Robert George Bowen.” [Advertiser 26 Sep 1873]
“BULLOCK.— [Died] On the 9th September, at St Helens, Prospect, Harriet, wife of F. W. Bullock.” [Advertiser 10 Sep 1910]
“Mrs. F. W. Bullock. . . was a daughter of the late Mr. Richard George Bowen. Mrs. Bullock was associated with many charitable institutions. . . She was a sister of Lady Thomas and Mrs. G. Sutherland, of Melbourne. Her husband, the well-known land and estate agent, was for a time Mayor of Adelaide. There are three sons and two daughters.” [Advertiser 10 Sep 1910]
“BULLOCK.— [Died] On the 31st May, at ‘St. Helen's’, Prospect, Frederick William Bullock.” [Advertiser 1 Jun 1931]
“Mr. Frederick William Bullock, a former Mayor of Adelaide. . . was born at Adelaide on August 7, 1851, was a son of the late Mr. John Bullock. . . who landed in the State in 1839, and founded the business afterwards carried on by the late Mr. F. W. Bullock under name of F. W. Bullock & Co, of which Mr. R. G. Bullock and C. Angel are the surviving partners. The late Mr. Bullock was educated at Mr. J. L. Young's school. . . sent to England. . . he decided to join his father in the conduct of his business, and accordingly returned to Adelaide. He was elected to the City Council in 1884. . . His wife, a daughter of the late Mr. R. G. Bower, had died previously. He has left two sons and two daughters, viz., Mr. R. G. Bullock, and Mr L P. Bullock, sheepfarmer, of Western Australia, and the Misses E. B. and D. J. Bullock, of Prospect.” [Advertiser 2 Jun 1931]
In 1998, the Prospect of Lye fleet was predominantly Ford, typified by Plaxton bodied LIB 3827, originally SBN 306S.
4x9 panoramic cyanotype ca. 1900.
I think this is in New England somewhere but if anyone has an idea of exactly where, let me know. The detail is just amazing, now I have something to aim for in my own cyanotype printing!
Prospect displays its usual enthusiasm for the 2025 Santos Tour Down Under Men’s Stage 1 where Prospect was the start and Gumeracha the finish - the winner was Australian Sam Welsford.
THE LEGACY OF PROSPECT HILL PLANTATION
Of all the historic places that I have visited, there has never been one that has captivated me like Prospect Hill. The story of Prospect Hill is a tale of wealth, prosperity, tragedy, sorrow, grief, greed, revenge and murder spanning more than 200 years and two continents. It is a story forged by war and the brotherhood of men fighting side by side, black and white. It is a story rooted in the ways of the Antebellum South and the conflict between right and wrong. It is a story that is being played out even today in the country of Liberia, so many miles away from rural Mississippi where it all began.
I first visited Prospect Hill on a beautiful, cool, crisp autumn day. Seven miles deep in the woods of rural Mississippi, she sits atop of a hill as a sentinel to what once was, but is nearly lost now. The home stands in ruins now and holds only a glimpse of what she once was. The beautiful fireplaces have grown cold and no longer add warmth to the space that was loved by so many and called home to generations of family members. The brightly colored walls show only remnants of the colors that they once boasted and the wall paper hangs in shreds. An old piano sits weathered and in ruins, no longer filling the home with its beautiful music but rather remains silent knowing its last note has resonated. A beautiful brass mirror still sits above a fireplace, but its reflection is now tarnished by years of abandonment, no longer does it catch the gazes of familiar faces, but rather darkness, emptiness and hopelessness as the house crumbles around it. As I walked around the yard, I couldn’t help but notice the remnants of what I am sure were once lavish gardens, and even today flowers are still blooming against the overgrown entanglement of weeds and vines as if they too have a story to tell and are begging not to be forgotten. A strange peace and tranquility surrounds the place, leaving me feeling far removed from the cares of life and wishing I could just sit under the shade of the ancient cedar trees and imagine what life would have been like. I begin to wonder, where they gathered when the original house burned and can only imagine the screams filling the night air as they realized little Martha didn’t make it out, yes somewhere on this hallowed ground the soil was saturated with tears. I look upon what was once a mighty oak but is now only a decaying mass of wood and chills run down my spine as I imagine the slaves being lynched on the very limbs that they had surely sought refuge under before. Maybe it is a fitting end to the tree, it’s time too has come to an end, just like the home it once shaded.
Captain Isaac Ross was born in South Carolina in 1760. He fought in the Revolutionary War alongside men of color and forged a friendship with many of them. This brotherhood was the basis for his respect for the black man despite being raised in the ideologies of the antebellum south. Captain Ross moved to Mississippi in 1808 with a large contingent of slaves and free men of color and built Prospect Hill Plantation. He was a successful businessman and the fertile Mississippi soil soon made him an extremely wealthy cotton planter. Captain Ross treated his slaves favorably, teaching them to read and write, which was illegal in many areas at this time. He also taught them specific skills and trades that made them valuable assets to his plantation as well as equipping them for a future on their own, the latter of which may or may not have been intentional. Captain Ross encouraged his slaves to marry and even allowed some of the ceremonies to be held at the Prospect Hill mansion. Many of these ceremonies were attended by Captain Ross himself, complete with gifts for the bride and groom. He seemed to have a respect for his slaves that was missing in most areas of the south at this time.
Captain Ross started to realize during the latter years of his life, that he owed a great deal of debt and gratitude to the slaves who had worked so hard for him and alongside him to build the empire of which he proudly called his own. Whether by spiritual awakening, or some type of epiphany, Captain Ross began to set in motion a series of events that would play out on two continents and affect the lives of countless individuals including his family, the slaves with whom called him master, and generations of their descendants. Captain Ross drew up a will in August of 1834, which upon his death, would free his slaves. Working through an organization called The American Colonization Society, the plantation was to be sold and the proceeds were to fund the transport of all of his slaves to a new colony in Africa called Liberia. This colony, which was soon called Mississippi in Africa, would be a fresh start to the slaves that wanted to travel there and Captain Ross even set aside provisions for a school to be established there so that the slaves could further their education and live a prosperous life in the new land. He included many of the slaves closest to him in his will and granted them money to start a new life if they chose to stay in Mississippi.
In 1836 Captain Isaac Ross passed away and the years that followed was a tumultuous time for the slaves and Ross’s family alike. Isaac Ross’s grandson, Isaac Ross Wade contested the will and the years that followed were marked with bitter disputes and litigations as well as unrest and anger on the part of the slaves. In 1845 tragedy struck, the slaves tired of waiting for the freedom that had been promised them by their beloved Captain Ross, had the cook drug the family and the house was set on fire, burning it to the ground. Everyone got out safely but little Martha, Captain Ross’s 6 year old granddaughter. A vigilante group was quickly formed and 11 slaves were hung to their death in an old oak tree out back of the burnt mansion. The present mansion was constructed in 1854.
After several years of litigation and tragedy, a group of nearly 300 Ross family slaves made the arduous journey to Africa but the story doesn’t end here. The slaves built for themselves, elaborate mansions reminiscent of the ones belonging to their masters back in Mississippi and some even enslaved the native peoples of Africa resulting in years of conflict and civil unrest which still goes on to this day. Most of the mansions built during this time were also destroyed during the years of civil unrest that followed. Copies of letters written by the Ross slaves to their families and former masters back in Mississippi still exist and sometimes outline less than desirable conditions in their new land of freedom. In an ironic twist of fate, seems maybe estranged family members or perhaps the slaves themselves had the last laugh. While all of the graves in the Ross family cemetery face presumably east, Isaac Ross Wade’s grave faces in the opposite direction, forever memorializing him as the man who stood in opposition and perhaps casting a light of shame on him for as long as the cemetery remains.
The legacy of Prospect Hill does not end with the massive oak or the crumbling mansion but still lives on in Liberia in the lives of the people whose ancestors came from Mississippi and in the descendants of the freed slaves who chose to stay. Her legacy lives on in the precedent that was set paving the way for people of color to gain their freedom and in the stories passed down from generation to generation. This Legacy still lives on in the cemetery bearing the name of all who called the mansion home and in the hearts and minds of the photographers who have been fortunate enough to capture her beauty even as she lay in ruins.
Special thanks to my awesome tour guide Mrs. Ann Brown. She made this tour possible and was such a wealth of knowledge. I can’t thank her enough for the hospitality and enthusiasm that she shared concerning the history of this area.
For more information there are two books published about Prospect Hill. Mississippi in Africa by Alan Huffman and Burning Prospects by Melissa Miles
Ex Seamarks DAF MB200 Plaxton Supreme IV KUR 225V ended its days with Prospect of Lye, registered UJI2347 and is seen at Lye on 27th September, 2004.
Tarjetas y prospectos de laboratorios y productos farmacéuticos. Figuras y retratos de mujeres]
Autor
Pla Narbona, José-
Mairata, Pedro-n. 1907-
Baqués, Josep-1931--
Andreu (Barcelona)-
Fecha
entre 1920 y 1970
The Dakshinkali Temple is located 22 kilometers from Kathmandu next to the village of Pharping. It's one of the main temples in Nepal. Twice every week thousands of people come here to worship the goddess Kali by sacrificing life animals, particularly cockerels and uncastrated male goats.
GODDESS KALI
Kālī (/ˈkɑːli/; Sanskrit: काली & Bengali: কালী; IPA: [kɑːliː]), also known as Kālikā (Sanskrit: कालिका), is the Hindu goddess associated with empowerment, or shakti. She is the fierce aspect of the goddess Durga. The name of Kali means black one and force of time; she is therefore called the Goddess of Time, Change, Power, Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. Her earliest appearance is that of a destroyer principally of evil forces. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shākta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman; and recent devotional movements re-imagine Kāli as a benevolent mother goddess. She is often portrayed standing or dancing on her husband, the god Shiva, who lies calm and prostrate beneath her. Worshipped throughout India but particularly South India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is both geographically and culturally marginal.
ETYMOLOGY
Kālī is the feminine form of kālam ("black, dark coloured"). Kāla primarily means "time", but also means "black"; hence, Kālī means "the black one" or "beyond time". Kāli is strongly associated with Shiva, and Shaivas derive the masculine Kāla (an epithet of Shiva) from her feminine name. A nineteenth-century Sanskrit dictionary, the Shabdakalpadrum, states: कालः शिवः। तस्य पत्नीति - काली। kālaḥ śivaḥ। tasya patnīti kālī - "Shiva is Kāla, thus, his consort is Kāli".
Other names include Kālarātri ("black night"), as described above, and Kālikā ("relating to time"), and Kallie ("black alchemist"). Coburn notes that the name Kālī can be used as a proper name, or as a description of color.
Kāli's association with darkness stands in contrast to her consort, Shiva, whose body is covered by the white ashes of the cremation ground (Sanskrit: śmaśāna) where he meditates, and with which Kāli is also associated, as śmaśāna-kālī.
ORIGINS
Hugh Urban notes that although the word Kālī appears as early as the Atharva Veda, the first use of it as a proper name is in the Kathaka Grhya Sutra (19.7). Kali is the name of one of the seven tongues of Agni, the [Rigvedic] God of Fire, in the Mundaka Upanishad (2:4), but it is unlikely that this refers to the goddess. The first appearance of Kāli in her present form is in the Sauptika Parvan of the Mahabharata (10.8.64). She is called Kālarātri (literally, "black night") and appears to the Pandava soldiers in dreams, until finally she appears amidst the fighting during an attack by Drona's son Ashwatthama. She most famously appears in the sixth century Devi Mahatmyam as one of the shaktis of Mahadevi, and defeats the demon Raktabija ("Bloodseed"). The tenth-century Kalika Purana venerates Kāli as the ultimate reality.
According to David Kinsley, Kāli is first mentioned in Hinduism as a distinct goddess around 600 CE, and these texts "usually place her on the periphery of Hindu society or on the battlefield." She is often regarded as the Shakti of Shiva, and is closely associated with him in various Puranas. The Kalika Purana depicts her as the "Adi Shakti" (Fundamental Power) and "Para Prakriti" or beyond nature.
WORSHIP AND MANTRA
Kali could be considered a general concept, like Durga, and is mostly worshiped in the Kali Kula sect of worship. The closest way of direct worship is Maha Kali or Bhadra Kali (Bhadra in Sanskrit means 'gentle'). Kali is worshiped as one of the 10 Mahavidya forms of Adi Parashakti (Goddess Durga) or Bhagavathy according to the region. The mantra for worship is
Sanskrit: सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके । शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
ॐ जयंती मंगल काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी । दुर्गा शिवा क्षमा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तुते ॥
(Sarvamaṅgalamāṅgalyē śivē sarvārthasādhikē . śaraṇyē tryambakē gauri nārāyaṇi namō'stu tē.
Oṃ jayantī mangala kālī bhadrakālī kapālinī . durgā śivā ksamā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namō'stutē.)
YANTRA
Goddesses play an important role in the study and practice of Tantra Yoga, and are affirmed to be as central to discerning the nature of reality as are the male deities. Although Parvati is often said to be the recipient and student of Shiva's wisdom in the form of Tantras, it is Kali who seems to dominate much of the Tantric iconography, texts, and rituals. In many sources Kāli is praised as the highest reality or greatest of all deities. The Nirvana-tantra says the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva all arise from her like bubbles in the sea, ceaselessly arising and passing away, leaving their original source unchanged. The Niruttara-tantra and the Picchila-tantra declare all of Kāli's mantras to be the greatest and the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra all proclaim Kāli vidyas (manifestations of Mahadevi, or "divinity itself"). They declare her to be an essence of her own form (svarupa) of the Mahadevi.In the Mahanirvana-tantra, Kāli is one of the epithets for the primordial sakti, and in one passage Shiva praises her:At the dissolution of things, it is Kāla [Time]. Who will devour all, and by reason of this He is called Mahākāla [an epithet of Lord Shiva], and since Thou devourest Mahākāla Himself, it is Thou who art the Supreme Primordial Kālika. Because Thou devourest Kāla, Thou art Kāli, the original form of all things, and because Thou art the Origin of and devourest all things Thou art called the Adya [the Primordial One]. Re-assuming after Dissolution Thine own form, dark and formless, Thou alone remainest as One ineffable and inconceivable. Though having a form, yet art Thou formless; though Thyself without beginning, multiform by the power of Maya, Thou art the Beginning of all, Creatrix, Protectress, and Destructress that Thou art. The figure of Kāli conveys death, destruction, and the consuming aspects of reality. As such, she is also a "forbidden thing", or even death itself. In the Pancatattva ritual, the sadhaka boldly seeks to confront Kali, and thereby assimilates and transforms her into a vehicle of salvation. This is clear in the work of the Karpuradi-stotra, a short praise of Kāli describing the Pancatattva ritual unto her, performed on cremation grounds. (Samahana-sadhana)He, O Mahākāli who in the cremation-ground, naked, and with dishevelled hair, intently meditates upon Thee and recites Thy mantra, and with each recitation makes offering to Thee of a thousand Akanda flowers with seed, becomes without any effort a Lord of the earth. Oh Kāli, whoever on Tuesday at midnight, having uttered Thy mantra, makes offering even but once with devotion to Thee of a hair of his Shakti [his energy/female companion] in the cremation-ground, becomes a great poet, a Lord of the earth, and ever goes mounted upon an elephant.The Karpuradi-stotra clearly indicates that Kāli is more than a terrible, vicious, slayer of demons who serves Durga or Shiva. Here, she is identified as the supreme mistress of the universe, associated with the five elements. In union with Lord Shiva, she creates and destroys worlds. Her appearance also takes a different turn, befitting her role as ruler of the world and object of meditation. In contrast to her terrible aspects, she takes on hints of a more benign dimension. She is described as young and beautiful, has a gentle smile, and makes gestures with her two right hands to dispel any fear and offer boons. The more positive features exposed offer the distillation of divine wrath into a goddess of salvation, who rids the sadhaka of fear. Here, Kali appears as a symbol of triumph over death.
BENGALI TRADITION
Kali is also a central figure in late medieval Bengali devotional literature, with such devotees as Ramprasad Sen (1718–75). With the exception of being associated with Parvati as Shiva's consort, Kāli is rarely pictured in Hindu legends and iconography as a motherly figure until Bengali devotions beginning in the early eighteenth century. Even in Bengāli tradition her appearance and habits change little, if at all.
The Tantric approach to Kāli is to display courage by confronting her on cremation grounds in the dead of night, despite her terrible appearance. In contrast, the Bengali devotee appropriates Kāli's teachings adopting the attitude of a child, coming to love her unreservedly. In both cases, the goal of the devotee is to become reconciled with death and to learn acceptance of the way that things are. These themes are well addressed in Rāmprasād's work. Rāmprasād comments in many of his other songs that Kāli is indifferent to his wellbeing, causes him to suffer, brings his worldly desires to nothing and his worldly goods to ruin. He also states that she does not behave like a mother should and that she ignores his pleas:
Can mercy be found in the heart of her who was born of the stone? [a reference to Kali as the daughter of Himalaya]
Were she not merciless, would she kick the breast of her lord?
Men call you merciful, but there is no trace of mercy in you, Mother.
You have cut off the heads of the children of others, and these you wear as a garland around your neck.
It matters not how much I call you "Mother, Mother." You hear me, but you will not listen.
To be a child of Kāli, Rāmprasād asserts, is to be denied of earthly delights and pleasures. Kāli is said to refrain from giving that which is expected. To the devotee, it is perhaps her very refusal to do so that enables her devotees to reflect on dimensions of themselves and of reality that go beyond the material world.
A significant portion of Bengali devotional music features Kāli as its central theme and is known as Shyama Sangeet ("Music of the Night"). Mostly sung by male vocalists, today even women have taken to this form of music. One of the finest singers of Shyāma Sāngeet is Pannalal Bhattacharya.
In Bengal, Kāli is venerated in the festival Kali Puja, the new moon day of Ashwin month which coincides with Diwali festival.
In a unique form of Kāli worship, Shantipur worships Kāli in the form of a hand painted image of the deity known as Poteshwari (meaning the deity drawn on a piece of cloth).
LEGENDS
SLAYER AND RAKTABIJA
In Kāli's most famous legend, Devi Durga (Adi Parashakti) and her assistants, the Matrikas, wound the demon Raktabija, in various ways and with a variety of weapons in an attempt to destroy him. They soon find that they have worsened the situation for with every drop of blood that is dripped from Raktabija he reproduces a clone of himself. The battlefield becomes increasingly filled with his duplicates. Durga, in need of help, summons Kāli to combat the demons. It is said, in some versions, that Goddess Durga actually assumes the form of Goddess Kāli at this time. The Devi Mahatmyam describes:
Out of the surface of her (Durga's) forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga (skull-topped staff ), decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger's skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.
Kali consumes Raktabija and his duplicates, and dances on the corpses of the slain. In the Devi Mahatmya version of this story, Kali is also described as a Matrika and as a Shakti or power of Devi. She is given the epithet Cāṃuṇḍā (Chamunda), i.e. the slayer of the demons Chanda and Munda. Chamunda is very often identified with Kali and is very much like her in appearance and habit.
DAKSHINA KALI
In her most famous pose as Daksinakali, popular legends say that Kali, drunk on the blood of her victims, is about to destroy the whole universe when, urged by all the gods, Shiva lies in her way to stop her, and she steps upon his chest. Recognizing Shiva beneath her feet, she calms herself. Though not included in any of the puranas, popular legends state that Kali was ashamed at the prospect of keeping her husband beneath her feet and thus stuck her tongue out in shame. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana, which goes into great depths about the goddess Kali, reveals the tongue's actual symbolism.
The characteristic icons that depict Kali are the following; unbridled matted hair, open blood shot eyes, open mouth and a drooping tongue; in her hands, she holds a Khadga (bent sword or scimitar) and a human head; she has a girdle of human hands across her waist, and Shiva lies beneath her feet. The drooping out-stuck tongue represents her blood-thirst. Lord Shiva beneath her feet represents matter, as Kali energy. The depiction of Kali on Shiva shows that without energy, matter lies "dead". This concept has been simplified to a folk-tale depicting a wife placing her foot
on her husband and sticking her tongue out in shame. In tantric contexts, the tongue is seen to denote the element (guna) of rajas (energy and action) controlled by sattva.
If Kali steps on Shiva with her right foot and holds the sword in her left hand, she is considered to be Dakshina Kali. The Dakshina Kali Temple has important religious associations with the Jagannath Temple and it is believed that Daksinakali is the guardian of the kitchen of the Lord Jagannath Temple. Puranic tradition says that in Puri, Lord Jagannath is regarded as Daksinakalika. Goddess Dakshinakali plays an important role in the 'Niti' of Saptapuri Amavasya.
One South Indian tradition tells of a dance contest between Shiva and Kali. After defeating the two demons Sumbha and Nisumbha, Kali takes up residence in the forest of Thiruvalankadu or Thiruvalangadu. She terrorizes the surrounding area with her fierce, disruptive nature. One of Shiva's devotees becomes distracted while performing austerities, and asks Shiva to rid the forest of the destructive goddess. When Shiva arrives, Kali threatens him, and Shiva challenges Kali to a dance contest, wherein Kali matches Shiva until Shiva takes the "Urdhvatandava" step, vertically raising his right leg. Kali refuses to perform this step, which would not befit her as a woman, and becomes pacified.
SMASHAN KALI
If the Kali steps out with the left foot and holds the sword in her right hand, she is the terrible form of Mother, the Smashan Kali of the cremation ground. She is worshiped by tantrics, the followers of Tantra, who believe that one's spiritual discipline practiced in a smashan (cremation ground) brings success quickly. Sarda Devi, the consort of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, worshipped Smashan Kali at Dakshineshwar.
MATERNAL KALI
At the time of samundra manthan when amrit came out, along with that came out poison which was going to destroy the world hence on the request of all the gods, Lord Shiva drank it to save the world but as he is beyond death he didn't die but was very much in pain due to the poison effect hence he became a child so that Kali can feed him with her milk which will sooth out the poison effect.
MAHAKALI
Mahakali (Sanskrit: Mahākālī, Devanagari: महाकाली), literally translated as Great Kali, is sometimes considered as a greater form of Kali, identified with the Ultimate reality of Brahman. It can also be used as an honorific of the Goddess Kali, signifying her greatness by the prefix "Mahā-". Mahakali, in Sanskrit, is etymologically the feminized variant of Mahakala or Great Time (which is interpreted also as Death), an epithet of the God Shiva in Hinduism. Mahakali is the presiding Goddess of the first episode of the Devi Mahatmya. Here she is depicted as Devi in her universal form as Shakti. Here Devi serves as the agent who allows the cosmic order to be restored.
Kali is depicted in the Mahakali form as having ten heads, ten arms, and ten legs. Each of her ten hands is carrying a various implement which vary in different accounts, but each of these represent the power of one of the Devas or Hindu Gods and are often the identifying weapon or ritual item of a given Deva. The implication is that Mahakali subsumes and is responsible for the powers that these deities possess and this is in line with the interpretation that Mahakali is identical with Brahman. While not displaying ten heads, an "ekamukhi" or one headed image may be displayed with ten arms, signifying the same concept: the powers of the various Gods come only through Her grace.
ICONOGRAPHY
Kali is portrayed mostly in two forms: the popular four-armed form and the ten-armed Mahakali form. In both of her forms, she is described as being black in color but is most often depicted as blue in popular Indian art. Her eyes are described as red with intoxication, and in absolute rage, her hair is shown disheveled, small fangs sometimes protrude out of her mouth, and her tongue is lolling. She is often shown naked or just wearing a skirt made of human arms and a garland of human heads. She is also accompanied by serpents and a jackal while standing on a seemingly dead Shiva, usually right foot forward to symbolize the more popular Dakshinamarga or right-handed path, as opposed to the more infamous and transgressive Vamamarga or left-handed path.
In the ten-armed form of Mahakali she is depicted as shining like a blue stone. She has ten faces, ten feet, and three eyes for each head. She has ornaments decked on all her limbs. There is no association with Shiva.
The Kalika Purana describes Kali as possessing a soothing dark complexion, as perfectly beautiful, riding a lion, four-armed, holding a sword and blue lotuses, her hair unrestrained, body firm and youthful.
In spite of her seemingly terrible form, Kali Ma is often considered the kindest and most loving of all the Hindu goddesses, as she is regarded by her devotees as the Mother of the whole Universe. And because of her terrible form, she is also often seen as a great protector. When the Bengali saint Ramakrishna once asked a devotee why one would prefer to worship Mother over him, this devotee rhetorically replied, "Maharaj", when they are in trouble your devotees come running to you. But, where do you run when you are in trouble?"
According to Ramakrishna, darkness is the Ultimate Mother, or Kali:
My Mother is the principle of consciousness. She is Akhanda Satchidananda;
indivisible Reality, Awareness, and Bliss. The night sky between the stars is perfectly black.
The waters of the ocean depths are the same; The infinite is always mysteriously dark.
This inebriating darkness is my beloved Kali.
—Sri Ramakrishna
This is clear in the works of such contemporary artists as Charles Wish, and Tyeb Mehta, who sometimes take great liberties with the traditional, accepted symbolism, but still demonstrate a true reverence for the Shakta sect.
POPULAR FORM
Classic depictions of Kali share several features, as follows:
Kali's most common four armed iconographic image shows each hand carrying variously a sword, a trishul (trident), a severed head, and a bowl or skull-cup (kapala) catching the blood of the severed head.
Two of these hands (usually the left) are holding a sword and a severed head. The Sword signifies Divine Knowledge and the Human Head signifies human Ego which must be slain by Divine Knowledge in order to attain Moksha. The other two hands (usually the right) are in the abhaya (fearlessness) and varada (blessing) mudras, which means her initiated devotees (or anyone worshipping her with a true heart) will be saved as she will guide them here and in the hereafter.
She has a garland consisting of human heads, variously enumerated at 108 (an auspicious number in Hinduism and the number of countable beads on a Japa Mala or rosary for repetition of Mantras) or 51, which represents Varnamala or the Garland of letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, Devanagari. Hindus believe Sanskrit is a language of dynamism, and each of these letters represents a form of energy, or a form of Kali. Therefore, she is generally seen as the mother of language, and all mantras.
She is often depicted naked which symbolizes her being beyond the covering of Maya since she is pure (nirguna) being-consciousness-bliss and far above prakriti. She is shown as very dark as she is brahman in its supreme unmanifest state. She has no permanent qualities - she will continue to exist even when the universe ends. It is therefore believed that the concepts of color, light, good, bad do not apply to her - she is the pure, un-manifested energy, the Adi-shakti.
Kali as the Symbol of Creation , Freedom , Preservation and Destruction
The head that hangs in Kali's hand is a symbol of Ego and the scimitar which she is holding represents power and energy.It is believed that Kali is protecting the human race by that scimitar and also destroying the negativity and ego within human being. The body lying under Kali symbolizes ruination, is actually a form of Shiva. Kali steps her leg on the chest of the body and suppress ruination . Since she is standing on the pure white chest of Lord Shiva who, as pure primal awareness, lays in a passive reclining position, peacefully lies with his eyes half open in a state of bliss. Her hair is long, black and flowing freely depicting Her freedom from convention and the confines of conceptualization. The white teeth which Kali has stands for conscience and her red tongue represents greed. By pressing her white teeth on her tongue Kali refers to control greed.The goddess may appear terrible from outside but every symbol in Kali signifies truth of life. Since the earth was created out of darkness, the dark black color of Kali symbolizes the color from which everything was born. Her right hand side arms she shows the Abhaya mudra(gesture of fearlessness) and Vara mudra (gesture of welcome and charity) respectively . But on the other arm in left side she holds a bloody scimitar and a severed head depicting destruction and end of ego.
Kali as the Symbol of Mother Nature
The name Kali means Kala or force of time. When there were neither the creation, nor the sun, the moon, the planets, and the earth, there was only darkness and everything was created from the darkness. The Dark appearance of kali represents the darkness from which everything was born. Her complexion is deep blue, like the sky and ocean water as blue. As she is also the goddess of Preservation Kali is worshiped as mother to preserve the nature.Kali is standing calm on Shiva, her appearance represents the preservation of mother nature. Her free, long and black hair represents nature's freedom from civilization. Under the third eye of kali, the signs of both sun, moon and fire are visible which represent the driving forces of nature.
SHIVA IN KALI ICONOGRAPHY
In both these images she is shown standing on the prone, inert or dead body of Shiva. There is a legend for the reason behind her standing on what appears to be Shiva's corpse, which translates as follows:
Once 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 Kali eventually stepped upon Shiva, she realized she was trampling and hurting her husband and bit her tongue in shame.
The story described here is a popular folk tale and not described or hinted in any of the puranas. The puranic interpretation is as follows:
Once, Parvati asks Shiva to chose the one form among her 10 forms which he likes most. To her surprise, Shiva reveals that he is most comfortable with her Kali form, in which she is bereft of her jewellery, her human-form, her clothes, her emotions and where she is only raw, chaotic energy, where she is as terrible as time itself and even greater than time. As Parvati takes the form of Kali, Shiva lies at her feet and requests her to place her foot on his chest, upon his heart. Once in this form, Shiva requests her to have this place, below her feet in her iconic image which would be worshiped throughout.
This idea has been explored in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana [28] and is most popular in the Shyama Sangeet, devotional songs to Kali from the 12th to 15th centuries.
The Tantric interpretation of Kali standing on top of her husband is as follows:
The Shiv tattava (Divine Consciousness as Shiva) is inactive, while the Shakti tattava (Divine Energy as Kali) is active. Shiva and Kali represent Brahman, the Absolute pure consciousness which is beyond all names, forms and activities. Kali, on the other hand, represents the potential (and manifested) energy responsible for all names, forms and activities. She is his Shakti, or creative power, and is seen as the substance behind the entire content of all consciousness. She can never exist apart from Shiva or act independently of him, just as Shiva remains a mere corpse without Kali i.e., Shakti, all the matter/energy of the universe, is not distinct from Shiva, or Brahman, but is rather the dynamic power of Brahman. Hence, Kali is Para Brahman in the feminine and dynamic aspect while Shiva is the male aspect and static. She stands as the absolute basis for all life, energy and beneath her feet lies, Shiva, a metaphor for mass, which cannot retain its form without energy.
While this is an advanced concept in monistic Shaktism, it also agrees with the Nondual Trika philosophy of Kashmir, popularly known as Kashmir Shaivism and associated most famously with Abhinavagupta. There is a colloquial saying that "Shiva without Shakti is Shava" which means that without the power of action (Shakti) that is Mahakali (represented as the short "i" in Devanagari) Shiva (or consciousness itself) is inactive; Shava means corpse in Sanskrit and the play on words is that all Sanskrit consonants are assumed to be followed by a short letter "a" unless otherwise noted. The short letter "i" represents the female power or Shakti that activates Creation. This is often the explanation for why She is standing on Shiva, who is either Her husband and complement in Shaktism or the Supreme Godhead in Shaivism.
To properly understand this complex Tantric symbolism it is important to remember that the meaning behind Shiva and Kali does not stray from the non-dualistic parlance of Shankara or the Upanisads. According to both the Mahanirvana and Kularnava Tantras, there are two distinct ways of perceiving the same absolute reality. The first is a transcendental plane which is often described as static, yet infinite. It is here that there is no matter, there is no universe and only consciousness exists. This form of reality is known as Shiva, the absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda - existence, knowledge and bliss. The second is an active plane, an immanent plane, the plane of matter, of Maya, i.e., where the illusion of space-time and the appearance of an actual universe does exist. This form of reality is known as Kali or Shakti, and (in its entirety) is still specified as the same Absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is here in this second plane that the universe (as we commonly know it) is experienced and is described by the Tantric seer as the play of Shakti, or God as Mother Kali.
From a Tantric perspective, when one meditates on reality at rest, as absolute pure consciousness (without the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to this as Shiva or Brahman. When one meditates on reality as dynamic and creative, as the Absolute content of pure consciousness (with all the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to it as Kali or Shakti. However, in either case the yogini or yogi is interested in one and the same reality - the only difference being in name and fluctuating aspects of appearance. It is this which is generally accepted as the meaning of Kali standing on the chest of Shiva.
Although there is often controversy surrounding the images of divine copulation, the general consensus is benign and free from any carnal impurities in its substance. In Tantra the human body is a symbol for the microcosm of the universe; therefore sexual process is responsible for the creation of the world. Although theoretically Shiva and Kali (or Shakti) are inseparable, like fire and its power to burn, in the case of creation they are often seen as having separate roles. With Shiva as male and Kali as female it is only by their union that creation may transpire. This reminds us of the prakrti and purusa doctrine of Samkhya wherein prakāśa- vimarśa has no practical value, just as without prakrti, purusa is quite inactive. This (once again) stresses the interdependencies of Shiva and Shakti and the vitality of their union.
Gopi Krishna proposed that Kali standing on the dead Shiva or Shava (Sanskrit for dead body) symbolised the helplessness of a person undergoing the changing process (psychologically and physiologically) in the body conducted by the Kundalini Shakti.
DEVELOPMENT
In the later traditions, Kali has become inextricably linked with Shiva. The unleashed form of Kali often becomes wild and uncontrollable, and only Shiva is able to tame her just as only Kali can tame Shiva. This is both because she is often a transformed version of one of his consorts and because he is able to match her wildness.
The ancient text of Kali Kautuvam describes her competition with Shiva in dance, from which the sacred 108 Karanas appeared. Shiva won the competition by acting the urdva tandava, one of the Karanas, by raising his feet to his head. Other texts describe Shiva appearing as a crying infant and appealing to her maternal instincts. While Shiva is said to be able to tame her, the iconography often presents her dancing on his fallen body, and there are accounts of the two of them dancing together, and driving each other to such wildness that the world comes close to unravelling.
Shiva's involvement with Tantra and Kali's dark nature have led to her becoming an important Tantric figure. To the Tantric worshippers, it was essential to face her Curse, the terror of death, as willingly as they accepted Blessings from her beautiful, nurturing, maternal aspect. For them, wisdom meant learning that no coin has only one side: as death cannot exist without life, so life cannot exist without death. Kali's role sometimes grew beyond that of a chaos - which could be confronted - to that of one who could bring wisdom, and she is given great metaphysical significance by some Tantric texts. The Nirvāna-tantra clearly presents her uncontrolled nature as the Ultimate Reality, claiming that the trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra arise and disappear from her like bubbles from the sea. Although this is an extreme case, the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra declare her the svarupa (own-being) of the Mahadevi (the great Goddess, who is in this case seen as the combination of all devis).The final stage of development is the worshipping of Kali as the Great Mother, devoid of her usual violence. This practice is a break from the more traditional depictions. The pioneers of this tradition are the 18th century Shakta poets such as Ramprasad Sen, who show an awareness of Kali's ambivalent nature. Ramakrishna, the 19th century Bengali saint, was also a great devotee of Kali; the western popularity of whom may have contributed to the more modern, equivocal interpretations of this Goddess. Rachel McDermott's work, however, suggests that for the common, modern worshipper, Kali is not seen as fearful, and only those educated in old traditions see her as having a wrathful component. Some credit to the development of Devi must also be given to Samkhya. Commonly referred to as the Devi of delusion, Mahamaya or Durga, acting in the confines of (but not being bound by) the nature of the three gunas, takes three forms: Maha-Kali, Maha-Lakshmi and Maha-Saraswati, being her tamas-ika, rajas-ika and sattva-ika forms. In this sense, Kali is simply part of a larger whole.
Like Sir John Woodroffe and Georg Feuerstein, many Tantric scholars (as well as sincere practitioners) agree that, no matter how propitious or appalling you describe them, Shiva and Devi are simply recognizable symbols for everyday, abstract (yet tangible) concepts such as perception, knowledge, space-time, causation and the process of liberating oneself from the confines of such things. Shiva, symbolizing pure, absolute consciousness, and Devi, symbolizing the entire content of that consciousness, are ultimately one and the same - totality incarnate, a micro-macro-cosmic amalgamation of all subjects, all objects and all phenomenal relations between the "two." Like man and woman who both share many common, human traits yet at the same time they are still different and, therefore, may also be seen as complementary.
Worshippers prescribe various benign and horrific qualities to Devi simply out of practicality. They do this so they may have a variety of symbols to choose from, symbols which they can identify and relate with from the perspective of their own, ever-changing time, place and personal level of unfolding. Just like modern chemists or physicists use a variety of molecular and atomic models to describe what is unperceivable through rudimentary, sensory input, the scientists of ontology and epistemology must do the same. One of the underlying distinctions of Tantra, in comparison to other religions, is that it allows the devotee the liberty to choose from a vast array of complementary symbols and rhetoric which suit one's evolving needs and tastes. From an aesthetic standpoint, nothing is interdict and nothing is orthodox. In this sense, the projection of some of Devi's more gentle qualities onto Kali is not sacrilege and the development of Kali really lies in the practitioner, not the murthi.
A TIME magazine article of October 27, 1947, used Kali as a symbol and metaphor for the human suffering in British India during its partition that year. In 1971, Ms. Magazine used an image of Kali, her multiple arms juggling modern tasks, as a symbol of modern womanhood on its inaugural issue.
Swami Vivekananda wrote his favorite poem Kali the Mother in 1898.
KALI IN NEOPAGAN AND NEW AGE PRACTICE
An academic study of Western Kali enthusiasts noted that, "as shown in the histories of all cross-cultural religious transplants, Kali devotionalism in the West must take on its own indigenous forms if it is to adapt to its new environment."[60] The adoption of Kali by the West has raised accusations of cultural appropriation:
A variety of writers and thinkers have found Kali an exciting figure for reflection and exploration, notably feminists and participants in New Age spirituality who are attracted to goddess worship. [For them], Kali is a symbol of wholeness and healing, associated especially with repressed female power and sexuality. [However, such interpretations often exhibit] confusion and misrepresentation, stemming from a lack of knowledge of Hindu history among these authors, [who only rarely] draw upon materials written by scholars of the Hindu religious tradition. The majority instead rely chiefly on other popular feminist sources, almost none of which base their interpretations on a close reading of Kali's Indian background. The most important issue arising from this discussion - even more important than the question of 'correct' interpretation - concerns the adoption of other people's religious symbols. It is hard to import the worship of a goddess from another culture: religious associations and connotations have to be learned, imagined or intuited when the deep symbolic meanings embedded in the native culture are not available.
INCARNATIONS OF KALI
Draupadi, Wife of Pandavas, was an avatar of Kali, who born to assist Lord Krishna to destroy arrogant kings of India. There is a temple dedicated to this incarnation at Banni Mata Temple at Himachal Pradesh. The vedic deity Nirriti or the Puranic deity Alakshmi is often considered as incarnations of Kali.
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