The Hindu myths contain a lot of stories of vampire like demons. The bloodthirsty goddess Kali is, essentially, a vampire. She’s similar to the also bloodthirsty Egyptian goddess, Sekhmet.
Kali is most often depicted with four arms, wielding weapons and severed limbs, and with black skin. She wears a necklace constructed of human skulls. A skirt of human limbs from those she has destroyed, hangs around her waist. Her long black tongue hangs out of her mouth, dripping with blood. She’s usually carrying a severed head in one of her four hands in icons of the goddess.
Some myths of Hinduism say that the goddess was born out of another goddess; Durga. Kali was said to have sprung out of Durga’s forehead in a moment of crisis, to help Durga defeat the demons of this world. Some Hindus believe that Kali has existed from the beginning of time.
Kali’s thirst for blood originated in her killing of the great demon Raktabija. Raktabija had a magical ability; every drop of blood that fell from his body was able to create thousands more demons like him. Kali destroyed him by piercing him and drinking all of his blood as it gushed out.
There are stories of Kali dancing a bloodthirsty dance of destruction, much like Shiva in his Nataraja avatar. So deadly and destructive, Kali nearly destroyed the whole cosmos in her thirst for blood and devastation, before the god Shiva was able to stop her.
This vampire goddess is still worshipped in temples today, by millions of Hindus around the world. She is also recognized by some Indian Muslims, and has been incorporated into various Obeah traditions of the Caribbean. Her devotees regard her as a loving mother goddess, who can destroy death itself. The goddess would traditionally be honored with a blood sacrifice. Animals are still sacrificed in her honor, especially in Calcutta, the city named after the goddess, “Kali Ghat.”
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