Tale of Koovagam: The Transgender Festival of India

 

Every year for 18 days, the otherwise sleepy village of Koovagam comes alive. Dance, music, lights, and prayers, the scintillating display of the utmost celebration of the transgender community in the country come together here to the Koovagam festival. Celebrated in the month of Chaitra according to the Hindu calendar (April/May), the one-of-its-kind festival in India challenges the extreme summer heat and brings together an oppressed community. The festival which gains more popularity by each year is attended by transgender people and a larger LGBTQI community from across India, Sri Lanka, and even Southeast Asian countries.

Koovagam village located about 25 km away from Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu is home to the Koothandavar Temple is the place where this festival is primarily held. With a history dating back centuries, Lord Aravan is believed to be one of the core elements of this festival. Various mythological stories are told here that sheds light on the lord’s importance among this specific community.

Also referred to as the Kuthandavar-Aravan Mela, the origin, history, and mythological significance of this festival trace back to the epic Mahabharata. According to the tales of the epic, the sacrifice of Goddess Kali was required for the Pandavas to win the Kurukshetra war. During the time, Lord Aravan, son of Pandava Arjuna and Naga Princess Ulupi offered to sacrifice his life for his family to indulge victorious while sparing Kali. Aravan’s last wish, however, was to experience marital life for once. Since no woman agreed to marry him who was supposed to die the very next day, Lord Krishna decided to take the form of Mohini, a woman and married Aravan, who sacrificed his life the very next day. Koovagam festival commemorates this mythological incident by celebrating the union of transgender women, also known as Aravanis. The locals along with the Aravanis believe that the transgender community truly comes alive by celebrating the significance of this story.

The quietest, sleepy villages near Koovagam get lit up, decorated with banana trees, and the crowd itself with tourists and vendors year after year for the fest. The first 16 days involve numerous activities, and cultural performances ranging from devotional songs and dance to skits by NGOs spreading awareness. However, it’s on the 17th day that the prominence rises. On this day, transgender women dress as brides or Mohinis. They wear bright coloured sarees, fill their hands with bangles, cover themselves in jewellery and ornaments, and visit the Koothavandar Temple. Here, they marry the deity of Aravan. The priests in the temple tie the Thali or Mangalsutra completing the marriage. Followed by processions and festivities, the whole event is a crowd-puller. An image of the severed head of Lord Aravan, which is kept in the temple throughout the year, symbolising the sacrifice is carried through the streets in the procession.

Well, now the marriage is over, one night later, the newly married transgender women gather at a designated ‘mourning ground’ called Azhukalam. The Aravanis gathered mourns the death of Aravan, their one night’s husband. As the priests remove the thalis signifying the marriage’s end, women fiercely break their bangles. They cry aloud, beating their chests, before bathing and changing into fresh white sarees. Their widowhood begins. As contrasting as the picture is, the very street that celebrated the wedding a day before, echo cries of sorrow and mourning.

Koovagam festival is not just another event but an occasion for the expression of a collective identity. From social recognition to equal opportunities, the stories seen in each of the Aravanis faces are different here. The flocking of people of the transgender community from all over the country is indeed a unique experience. It is indeed a rare occasion where the community can openly flaunt their sexuality in public without facing censorship or mockery. The collective lamentation of Aravan’s death carries a lot more significance in their hearts. A unique festival that brings about the diversity and culture of India, the yearly festival is one to be not missed.