Mahesh Balasubramanian

Photographer
    Koovagam Festival - Celebration of Transgender Identity by Mahesh Balasubramanian 
Koovagam Festival - Celebration of Transgender Identity
Public Project
Koovagam Festival - Celebration of Transgender Identity
Copyright Mahesh Balasubramanian 2024
Date of Work Apr 2013 - Apr 2013
Updated Nov 2020
Location Koovagam
Topics Abuse, Belief, Celebrations, Community, Documentary, Editorial, Emotion, Essays, Faith, Festival, Gender, Happiness, Hinduism, India, Koovagam, Photography, Spotlight, Street, Tamilnadu, Transgender, Travel
Koothandavar festival is the biggest annual transgender's festival in India. It is a celebration of love and death, of sacrifice and life.  The festival takes place at the Koothandavar Temple dedicated to Aravaan. The transgenders marry Lord Aravaan, thus reenacting an ancient myth of Lord Krishna who married Aravaan after taking a form of a woman called Mohini. The next day, all transgenders mourn the god Aravaan death through ritualistic dances and by breaking their bangles and removing their mangalsutra. 
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Koovagam Festival - Celebration of Transgender Identity by Mahesh Balasubramanian
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