Bhadrakālī (, , , , ,
Kodava: ಭದ್ರಕಾಳಿ) (literally "
Good Kali,") is a
Hindu goddess popular in
Southern India. She is one of the fierce forms of the Great Goddess (
Devi) mentioned in the
Devi Mahatmyam. Bhadrakali is the popular form of Devi worshipped in
Kerala as Sri Bhadrakali and Kariam Kali Murti Devi. In Kerala she is seen as the auspicious and fortunate form of
Kali who protects the good. It is believed that Bhadrakāli was a local deity that was assimilated into the mainstream
Hinduism, particularly into Shaiva mythology. She is represented with three eyes, and four, twelve or eighteen hands. She carries a number of weapons, with flames flowing from her head, and a small tusk protruding from her mouth. Her worship is also associated with the
Tantric tradition of the
Matrikas as well as the tradition of the ten
Mahavidyas and falls under the broader umbrella of
Shaktism.