ALLAHABAD: Braving non-recognition and boycott by other seers, 60 transgenders were ordained as sanyasis in the newly-formed monastic order -Kinnar Akhara -at the Alopi Bagh ashram in Allahabad on Friday . The Vedic rituals for the ordainment were conducted by Swami Vasudevanand.Acharya Mahamandleswar of Kinnar Akhara, Swami Laxminarayan Tripathi said, “60 kinnars (transgenders) from various parts of the country wanted to join the akhara as sanyasi. They followed the same rituals which a person seeking to accept the life of monkhood does.“The newly-formed akhara is facing a boycott from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the umbrella head of the centuries-old 13 akharas. However, the `kinnars' had still invited prominent seers of other monastic orders in the ordainment event but none of them attended the function.The process of ordainment was followed by deciding the designations and titles of the newly-ordained seers.Talking to TOI, Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of Kin nar Akhara, Swami Laxminarayan Tripathi, said, “The entry of transgenders into ascetic life is another revolutionary step after Supreme Court 's verdict recognizing people of LGBT community as third gender in 2014.“ Tripathi said, “The saint community of 13 akharas is male-dominated. They denied us our right to be part of Hindu religion by not admitting us to their akhara, so we decided to form our own monastic order.““Kinnar akhara will help in erasing the image of transgenders as ones who just sing and dance in birth and marriage functions for money or seek alms in trains and at traffic signals,“ Tripathi added. Mahant Pavitra said that religious scriptures like `Puranas' mention and eulogise the contributions made by transgenders in every field. “We are referred in Vedas and puranas as kinnars.As human beings, we also have the right to serve the society .So, whether other saints accept us or not we will continue our endeavour,“ she added.“The transgenders follow the `Shri Vidya' tradition as mentioned in Puranas. In ordainment, our guru gives `diksha' by giving a `mantra',“ said Mahant Pavitra.Kinnar Akhara has applied separately for land to set up their camp in the upcoming Magh mela as well as in Ardha Kumbh to be held in 2018-19.