Author:

Trisha Banerjee
1PhD Research Scholar
Department of History
West Bengal State University
Barasat,West Bengal, India

Email: trishascholarly@gmail.com

Abstract::Abstract::This paper examines the political appropriation of the Hindu goddess Kali during the Swadeshi
movement in colonial Bengal. Traditionally portrayed as fierce, chaotic, and transgressive, Kali’s image
came to symbolize both divine rage and nationalist resistance. Revolutionary figures such as Bankim
Chandra Chattopadhyay and Aurobindo Ghosh reimagined her as the embodiment of a suffering
motherland—wounded under British rule yet capable of violent renewal. Her iconography was used not
only in literature but also in political discourse and ritual acts meant to inspire collective action. The
study also engages with feminist critiques of divine representation, particularly Luce Irigaray’s call for a
sacred feminine grounded in women’s lived experience. In this context, Kali offers an alternative vision,
one that refuses domestication and challenges both colonial and patriarchal narratives. Her form
disrupts dualistic norms and creates space for new modes of subjectivity, especially for women.

Key Words::Feminist Theology, Kali, Nationalist Politics, Religious Iconography etc