Transgenders, otherwise called 'Hijaras' in India, have been always been a part of the society. But till today, they have failed to gain acceptance into mainstream society and live on the fringes of it.

WBK Photography

Reduced to begging and forced prostitution to somehow make a living, the transgender community has always been scorned and looked down upon. While that is the general perception around the country, there is a village in south India which cherishes and celebrates the transgender identity.

Every year, between April and May, thousands of transgenders from across the country converge at the Koothandavar Temple in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu for the annual Koovagam Festival which runs for 18 days.

Koothandavar Koil

india.com

The festival, which has been observed for hundreds of years, has its roots in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and the battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas.

The legend

The temple is dedicated to Iravan, also known as Aravan/Koothandavar, the son of Arjuna and his wife, Naga princess Ulupi.

According to legend, during the Mahabharata war, on the 18th day there came a scenario where the Pandavas had to sacrifice someone from themselves to Goddess Kali to win the battle.

Flickr

Aravan offered himself to be sacrificed for his clan to win. But he asked Lord Krishna for one last wish to be fulfilled - to be married before his death. With just one day's marriage and a lifetime of widowhood ahead, no woman was willing to marry Aravan. So Lord Krishna took his 'Mohini' avatar and became Aravan's bride. As promised, Aravan offered himself as sacrifice the next day.

The festival

The 18-day festival at the sleepy village's temple is the re-enactment of the events in the epic. Thousands of transgenders who come for the annual event consider themselves the brides of Aravan.

Throughout the eighteen days of the festival there are all kinds of celebrations like songs, dances, games and even a beauty pageant. The winner of the pageant is crowned 'Miss Koovagam'.

The festivities reach their peak on the 17th evening when all the transgenders dress up as brides, They wear colourful bangles and ritually tie mangalsutra (thali) around their necks.

The Hindu

The festival concludes with the widowing of these brides, who then mourn the death of Aravan by breaking their bangles and thalis, symbolising the end of their one-day marriage.

india.com

Beyond rituals

With the festival gaining more attention in recent years, it has become a platform for the community to create awareness about health issues, especially STDs like AIDS. This is because most of the participants are, some way or the other, related to prostitution.

WBK Photography

They also organise blood donation camps and even participated in the Swachh Bharat programme last year. The popularity and the growing acceptance of the event has given rise to other pageants like 'Miss Koovagam'.

New Indian Express

However, all these have resulted in a slight dip in the number of participants for the Koovgam Festival in the recent years. But for many who visit every year, the legend is the driving force that brings them to the temple.