

3) Durga maintains the balance of the cosmos while Kali destroys the balance. 2) Durga and Kali are both associated with the Hindu god Shiva. 1) Durga is a radiant warrior goddess and Kali is a bloodthirsty monster goddess. Kali and Durga are different in three ways. What is the difference between Durga and Kali? 1 What is the difference between Durga and Kali?.


The tower is visible from a distance and allows devotees to pray even without entering the temple. One of the interesting features of the conserved temple building is its elaborate vimana (stepped pyramid-shape tower over main shrine found in South Indian temples) adorned with deities. To the left of the mandapam is an arcade with several other statues, such as that of Periyachi, the protector of children and mothers. Murugan’s name means “the beautiful one” and he is considered the patron of the present era. Vinayagar is the “elephant god” and a remover of obstacles. The mandapam holds the main shrine to Kali and on either side are two smaller shrines dedicated to the deities Vinayagar (Ganesha) and Murugan, both sons of Shiva. Although the kumbabhishekam (“consecration ceremony” in Tamil, deriving from Sanskrit) of the temple was performed on January 1974, the three archway gopura (“entrance towers” in Tamil, deriving from Sanskrit) and the decoration of the mandapam (“main hall” in Tamil, deriving from Sanskrit) were completed later.

Two sculptors and two artists from South India were commissioned to work on its motifs. In 1969, an architectural firm from India, Neysadurai and Associates, redesigned the temple. By 1935, a small shed was erected to replace the old tiled roof structure. This temple to the goddess Kali, the “Destroyer of Evil,” started in a small hut under the leadership of a few Chettiars. The Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple was established around 1870 by the Hindus living in the neighbourhood of the temple and in Potong Pasir.
