Eunuch festival in India

AP Published May 2, 2012
Indian eunuchs wear white sarees signifying widowhood. ? Photo by AP
Indian eunuchs wear white sarees signifying widowhood. ? Photo by AP
Indian eunuchs dance in trance. ? Photo by AP
Indian eunuchs dance in trance. ? Photo by AP
An Indian eunuch comes out from a temple. ? Photo by AP
An Indian eunuch comes out from a temple. ? Photo by AP
An idol of warrior god Aravan is taken in a chariot. ? Photo by AP
An idol of warrior god Aravan is taken in a chariot. ? Photo by AP
A temple priest ties a "Thali", a sacred thread symbolic of Hindu marriage union around the neck of an Indian eunuch. ? Photo by AP
A temple priest ties a "Thali", a sacred thread symbolic of Hindu marriage union around the neck of an Indian eunuch. ? Photo by AP
Indian eunuchs mourn as the re-enactment takes place. ? Photo by AP
Indian eunuchs mourn as the re-enactment takes place. ? Photo by AP

The term eunuch, is used in India to describe a community of people who identify themselves as neither male nor female but as members of a third gender. They traditionally survive by begging, dancing at weddings or blessing newborn babies and are frequently subjected to discrimination. In this annual eunuch festival at Koovagam, south of Chennai, eunuchs re-enact a story adopted from the Indian epic Mahabharata. –  Photos and text by AP

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Comments (2) Closed
guru b
May 03, 2012 12:06pm
Leave them alone and let's worry about corruption, inflation and extreme poert.
Recommend 0
mlk
May 02, 2012 11:15pm
they are good human
Recommend 0

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