Viral: Maa Bhadrakali’s statue opens and closes eyes when Abhishekam ritual is performed

Indian temples are not just buildings with idols and worship inside. They are energy houses that are famous all over the world for their positivity, their miracles, their healing capabilities, and the love and connection that people can feel within them. Many temples have stories of Swayambhu idols, deities and idols that move around, plates of prasad that turn empty overnight, and much more.

Maa Bhadrakali is a fierce and powerful form of the divine feminine, the Shakti, and is a symbol of strength, protection, justice, and the destruction of evil. She is often worshipped with weapons in hand, her eyes wide open, and her gaze on all her devotees, looking at the evil ones with sternness and the devoted ones with care and compassion.
In many parts of South India, Bhadrakali is the Kuldevi of thousands of families and is considered a guardian goddess who looks after the village or town.

In Warangal, there is a temple dedicated to Maa Bhadrakali that has its own miracles. It is one of the oldest temples of Maa Bhadrakali and is located on a rather scenic location, near a lake and among beautiful hills and mountains.
And the idol here is truly beautiful and unique because it shows Maa Bhadrakali seated calmly, with her eyes wide and striking. She holds weapons in her many hands and is adorned with beautiful jewelry and garlands. And her expression is filled with compassion and protective energy.

A video is going viral all over social media that has brought the temple into the limelight. It showed priests performing Abhishekam on the idol when something incredible seemed to happen. When a thick white-gray liquid was poured over Maa Bhadrakali’s face, her eyes slowly began to appear closed, as though she was closing her eyes to protect them and to prevent the liquid from going into her eyes. Later, when the liquid was washed away, her eyes ‘opened’ again, giving the impression of a living goddess.
And for believers, it was nothing short of a miracle.(Image: Bharatvarsha/Facebook)

Social media users and temple visitors quickly began to share their thoughts and feelings with many saying that the idol was not just a statue, but Maa Bhadrakali was alive and resided in that ‘murti’. It was shared as a true sign of divinity, and people claimed that ‘only in India can these things happen. Science can’t prove anything, but devotion can’.
This subtle play became a spiritual symbol for many, almost as if it was a proof of divine presence and the sacredness of rituals.

While the emotion and devotion are real and beautiful, there is a practical explanation behind the phenomenon. The idol’s eyes are deeply sculpted and painted in dark, expressive tones. And so when thick liquids, usually made with milk, or turmeric, or sandalwood, or the likes are poured during the Abhishekam, it fills the carved eyes with a layer of the liquid, making it look like the eyes are closed.
And when the liquid stops pouring, the eyes become visible again, as if Maa Bhadrakali has opened her eyes again.
And this cannot be termed a trick or an illusion because this is just how light, liquid, and carving interact during a sacred ritual.