Context:
Koothandavar festival at Koovagam in Tamil Nadu plays out a tale of marriage and widowhood, all in a day.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
About Koothandavar Festival:
- The Koothandavar festival is an annual event held in the Tamil month of Chithirai, spanning from mid-April to mid-May, in Koovagam, Tamil Nadu.
- This traditional 18-day festival garners global attention for its distinctive celebration of the transgender identity.
History:
- According to a Tamil rendition of the Mahabharata, a character named Aravan offered himself as a sacrifice for the victory of the Pandavas in the war.
- Aravan possessed a boon granting him marriage before his sacrifice, but no woman was willing to marry him as it would result in widowhood.
- Eventually, Lord Krishna is said to have married Aravan in the form of Mohini. Legend holds that Lord Krishna mourned Aravan’s death as a widow.
Rituals:
- The central ritual of the festival revolves around the sacrificial ceremony of Lord Aravan.
- On the 17th day of the festival, transwomen from various regions assemble to wed Lord Aravan.
- The following day marks the culmination of the festival, with Aravan’s sacrifice in the war.
- In observance of his death, the transwomen who married Aravan undergo rituals of widowhood, mourning his demise.
-Source: The Hindu
