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Annual Transgender festival @ Sri Koothandavar Temple, Kovaagam, Viluppuram, Tamilnadu, May 2014.
The story behind this festival inspired me to travel to Kovaagam and witness the event
A short gist of the story:
The festival has its root from Mahabaratha war, where in order to stop the war it was required to to sacrifice a man filled with all the good qualities of Valor, strength to the goddess of war, Kali. It was "Aravaan (son of Arjuna) who took up this to get sacrificed. To satisfy his last wish, Lord Krishna transformed himself as Mohini and married Aravaan. On 18th day, Aravaan sacrificed his life and so as the war also ended. Aravaan,during his final moments on earth, he sees Krishna, as Mohini, beating her breasts and wailing, the very picture of a widowed woman grieving her husband.