Koovagam Festival - Celebration of Transgender Identity by Mahesh Balasubramanian

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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Mahesh Balasubramanian

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