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

World

Read more

On DawnNews
Dawn News English
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

Latest Stories

dawn images site

Most Popular

01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09

Must Read

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan strikes
Updated 26 Dec, 2024

Afghan strikes

The military option has been employed by the govt apparently to signal its unhappiness over the state of affairs with Afghanistan.
Revamping tax policy
26 Dec, 2024

Revamping tax policy

THE tax bureaucracy appears to have convinced the government that it can boost revenues simply by taking harsher...
Betraying women voters
26 Dec, 2024

Betraying women voters

THE ECP’s recent pledge to eliminate the gender gap among voters falls flat in the face of troubling revelations...
Kurram ‘roadmap’
Updated 25 Dec, 2024

Kurram ‘roadmap’

The state must provide ironclad guarantees that the local population will be protected from all forms of terrorism.
Snooping state
25 Dec, 2024

Snooping state

THE state’s attempts to pry into citizens’ internet activities continue apace. The latest in this regard is a...
A welcome first step
25 Dec, 2024

A welcome first step

THE commencement of a dialogue between the PTI and the coalition parties occupying the treasury benches in ...