Aravan's one-night marriage to Krishna as Mohini

Variant

The largest transgender gathering in India is a re-enactment of a wedding that the Sanskrit epic never mentions.

Because no woman will marry a man doomed to die, Krishna takes the form of Mohini and weds Aravan, who wants to avoid dying a bachelor. After the wedding night Mohini bids farewell and Aravan goes to his sacrifice. At the 18-day Koovagam festival, transgender Aravanis are tied with a thaali, then break their bangles and mourn as widows after Aravan's ritual death. Scholarly sources add that in the Kuttantavar cult the bride is Paravanacciyal, daughter of Satyaki, and that in street theatre Mohini leaves abruptly (marriage unconsummated).

Who: Aravan, Krishna as Mohini, Aravanis

Bound to

Aravan's three boons and the Kali sacrifice causes

Kashiram Das's expanded Mohini and Shiva mirror

Places: Koovagam, Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu

Where this comes from

modern-popular · The News Minute feature on Koovagam
commentary · Wikipedia: Iravan (citing Hiltebeitel 1988/1995, Peruntevanar Parata Venpa)
modern-popular · Wikipedia: Koovagam

See it on the tree · All stories

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