Goddess Kali -

Goddess Kali was depicted as the most ferocious with a dreadful appearance in Hindu mythology.  She has dark blue complexion, blood-stained tongue stretching outside, sparkling three eyes, vicious smile, adorned in magnificent crown decorated with a crescent moon adorned in various golden gem decorated ornaments all over the body, beautiful earrings,  ornaments on the chest, arms,  hands, waist, and anklets, she holds  various fierce weapons in hands,  powerful sword in one hand, lifeless head on the other, starch naked, garlands of skull and corpse on the neck, a large volume of curly and dark blue long unbound hairs  that covers the nudity, she is standing or sitting on the chest of Lord Shiva.  The significance of the worship of Ma Kali that begins over four thousand years from the pre-Buddhist period, rituals were considered as highly important in invoking Goddess Kali.  The performance of fire sacrifice to invoke deities, such as Lord Sun, Lord Agni, Lord Indra, Lord Varuna, etc.. the Veda describes the nature of Goddess Nirriti is the representation of death as dark complexioned with disheveled hair, alarming appearance, she is compared with Dakshin Kali who is originated from the direction South/dwelling place of Yama.  Goddess Nirriti reveals the dark side of nature of life such as physical as well as mental ailments.

In Jaiminya Brahmana, there is a legend of Goddess Dhirga Jihva who has long tongue stretched out was invoked out of the fire sacrifice and she licked away all the Soma rasa from the fire ritual,  that caused much irritation to Lord Indra.  This Somarasa provided immortality,  happiness, and health to everyone including deities.  Lord Indra assigned a young man Sumitra to fight against Dhirga Jihva was refused Sumitra who is lack of manliness.  Indra blessed Sumitra with immense manliness which satisfied the Dhirga Jihva and Sumitra attained the power to kill her during their amorous sport. 

During the Buddhist era Karma and Moksha gained popularity, which recommended meditation as a tool for attaining liberation from worldly bondage, this caused the diminishing of the performance of fire sacrifices.  The post Buddhist period gave the raise the knowledge in scriptures, which highly recommended fire worships for invoking deities.  The supreme spirit which has no duality and protector of the worshiper, thus began the origin of sub-sect as Shaivism, is the worship of Lord Shiva who is a Vairagin/abandonment,  Vaishnavism, is the worship of Lord Vishnu who is a Samsarin/householder along with Goddess Mahalakshmi, Shaktham is the worship of Ma Kali who represents female energy,  each has supremacy in its own way.  Ma Kali is depicted as the conqueror of demons, and there are various manifestations of Ma Kali.  Goddess Kalaratri who has appeared in the final night of war of Kurukshetra is another powerful form of Goddess Kali who lives in battlefields, a representation of rage and violence. 

Srimad Devi Bhagavatham of Markandeya Purana describes Ma Kali who originated from the third eye of Goddess Devi to kill the demons Chanda, Munda, Mahisha,  and Rakthabeeja.  There is a famous legend of Rakthabeeja who undertook severe penance praying to Lord Bhrama, finally attained a peculiar boon that if a drop of his blood fell on Earth would transform into a seed which causes to sprout duplicate of him.  Rakthabeeja has grown haughty and caused havoc in three worlds, therefore the deities, Lord Bhrma and Lord Indra approached Lord Vishnu to put an end to his atrocities.  Lord Vishnu requested to Lord Shiva also expressed his qualms so they have to approach Goddess Devi who assumed the form of multi-armed Chandi who is mounted on a tiger with various weapons and rushed to the battlefield.  Another form of Goddess Devi is Kali who has a long stretching tongue, drank all those bloodsheds with her propelling tongue before it falls on the ground.  Thus, Goddess Kali beheaded the demon Rakthabeeja, she has worn the garlands of the head of demons.

The Tantric scriptures describes various forms of Goddess like Kali, Tara, Chamunda, Chinnamastha, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Dhumavathi, Bagalamukhi, Mathangi, and Kamala.   Tantric scriptures describes elaborately on the sixty-four Goddess known as Tri-Devi, Tri-Ambika, Matrikas, Mahavidhyas, and Yoginiganas, are the goddesses as benevolent, bountiful, gruesome and malicious.  The Kalika Purana describes Maha Kali as the most perfect and supreme representation of Adi shakti.  Mahakali with her unbound hair of large volume, dark complexion, blood-stained tongue stretched out of the mouth, thirst for blood, and unbridled lust dominated her male form Lord Shiva/Bhairav.   The moment she sat on the chest of Lord Shiva or stands on his chest realizes her origin as awakened by him, she is the one who supplements him with her female energy.  She is the supreme Goddess who has venerable as well as frightening form; she is the creator of living beings and ultimately devours them.