Kali is a Hindu goddess often misconstrued as a goddess of death. While she does bring about the death of the ego and demons, she does not kill humans. She is the counterpart of the more violent deity Shiva the destroyer, both of whom are the destroyers of unreality. Kali is depicted as a woman with a garland of skulls or heads, and dismembered arms, because the ego arises out of identification with the body. She also is usually seen with black or dark blue skin, which symbolizes the womb of which all creation arises and into which all creation will eventually dissolve into. So she is often mistaken as a fearsome deity, she is actually a motherly figure.

As a tattoo Kali is often done in American traditional style, neo-traditional, black and grey, or realism.

Neo-traditional Kali by Aaron Riddle at Black Lotus Tattooers in Phoenix, Arizona.

American traditional, less angry Kali by Andrew Strychnine at Redrum Tattoo Collective in Moscow.

Unfinished black and grey Kali back piece by Dan Molloy in Perth, Australia.

Mostly black Kali by Joe Ellis at Sacred Electric Custom Tattooing in Leeds, UK.

Full colourful Kali back piece by Natalia Litvinenko.

Dark American traditional Kali head by Philip Yarnell at Skynyard Tattoos, UK.

Full bodied version of Kali by Steven Huie at Flyrite Tattoo.

Another unfinished Kali back piece by Tom Caine at Holy mountain Tattoo, UK.

Full rib panel Kali head by Andrew Fyfe at Main Street Tattoo Collective in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A much more motherly version of Kali by Lucy Pryor at Into You Tattoo & Piercing in London, UK.