Pali texts occasionally mention the Kālakañjas. They are described as “terrifying” (DN 20:12.5), and as the lowest class of titans (DN 24:1.7.19).
They appear also in Sanskrit literature:
- Legend has it that they tried to build a fire altar of bricks (i.e. a mountain) to ascend to the heavens and contest with the gods (Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 1.1.2.4–6, alluded to at Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 2.1.2.13).
- Three are mentioned as being godlike at Atharvaveda 6.80.2.
- The Mahābhārata (eg. 4.44.9) says they are Dānavas, an association supported in DN 20:12.5, which mentions the Dānavas in the next line.
They seem to be associated with the ferocious Kālakeyas, children of Kālā.
But a common Sanskrit spelling is kālakhañja, where khañja means “lame”. This calls to mind the lame smith-god Hephaestus, who also ascended to heaven.
Kāla (“black”) then would be the black metal iron (cf. English “blacksmith”), yielding the sense “iron-lamed”.
Their mythic status would then be that the development of iron smithing gave powers to the lower beings, making them a threat to the gods.
I’m not sure if this argument can be sustained, as their mentions are vague and often unclear.
