Koothandavar Temple organises Koovagam festival for Indian transgenders and eunuchs

Every spring, thousands of transgenders, eunuchs and cross-dressers from all over India and neighbouring countries flock to the southern Indian village of Koovagam, for Hindu celebration of transgender people.

The ‘Koovagam’ is a two-day festival held at Koothandavar Temple in the honour of the Hindu god Aravan (also known as Iravan), who is believed to be the patron god of transgender communities.

According to a Hindu legend, Aravan, the son of the Pandava Arjuna, sacrificed himself to ensure the victory of the Pandava brothers against the Kauravas during Mahabharata.

Before he sacrificed himself, Aravan wished to marry a woman and spend the night with her. In order to fulfil Aravan’s request, Lord Krishna transformed himself into an attractive woman, Mohini. She grieved like a widow, breaking her bangles and beating her breasts after Aravan sacrificed himself the next day.

To act out the story of Aravan, the transgender devotees come each year and in a symbolic ritual, the participants take on the role of Mohini. The bride takes a ritual bath in the pond on the wedding day. Then she puts on make-up and a group of brides help each other deck out before their wedding. The bride then proceeds towards the temple and get married to Aravan by the temple priest. Then the next day, they mourn Aravan’s death by participating in ritualistic dances and breaking their bangles.

In addition to the religious ceremony, the participants compete in beauty pageants and singing contests.

The Koovagam festival is one among a number of festivals in India connected to the worship of gender-variant deities, that have traditionally been popular with Hindu devotees from across the LGBT spectrum. Some of the most famous ones are the Ayyappa and Chamayavillaku festivals in Kerala, the Bahuchara-mata festival in Gujarat and the Yellamma-Devi festival in Karnataka.

Source: news24online.com/

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