Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Ahmedabad, INDIA (October 1, 2003) - During Navratra, women can be seen dancing a garba at the Ma Baucharaji Mandir that tells the tale of a local princess who jumped into the temple pond and turned into a prince. The unusual story of magical sex change goes on to describe how she then marries the princess of a neighbouring kingdom. Not all the dancers are women – some are men who have come to become eunuchs. According to legend, this is one of the places where Arjun hid, dressed as a woman. Since then, Ma Baucharaji Mandir has become the spiritual home of every eunuch in India. "Men come here to become eunuchs. It is only possible if the Goddess allows it," said Urvashi, a eunuch. While the eunuchs, locally known as Pawaiyas, are amongst the chief devotees of Ma Baucharaji, her bodyguards are equally unusual –the Kamaliyas, believed to be Muslim converts, became devotees of the goddess during the reign of Allauddin Khilji. Their genealogy, recorded in a painting at the temple depicts the story of the hens of Baucharaji. The temple had hundreds of hens, which are considered her royal vehicle. When Allauddin Khilji's army came to destroy the temple, the soldiers killed and ate the birds. When the goddess came to know what had happened, she summoned the hens and they began to emerge out of the stomachs of the men. Only those who hadn't eaten survived. Seeing the miracle, they became Ma Baucharaji's devotees. As a sign of respect to the goddess, the Muslim soldiers decided to dress up as women and men simultaneously, a tradition which continued till two decades ago. "We were clean shaven on one side and had a moustache on the other. We wore a bangle in one hand and kept a trishul in the other. We wore both the ghagra and a dhoti," said Kalidas Pujara, the temple priest. But today the converts deny their Muslim origins, even though they still bury their dead. But Ma Baucharaji is not some obscure cult – the temple is the second most important goddess temple in Gujarat after Ambaji and visited by thousands of believers especially during Navratari. Baucharaji with its hazy boundaries between genders and religions is a strange anomaly in a state which many consider the stronghold of hardline Hindutva. Source: NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd) URL: http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp? slug=Ma+Baucharaji%3A+Goddess+of+eunuchs&id=43193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 Greetings to all, BAHUCHARA OF GUJARAT Bahuchara was given in marriage to a prince who never spent time with her. Instead, he would go to the jungle every night on his white horse. Bahuchara decided to follow her husband and find out why he never came to her. As she had no horse, she rode a jungle fowl. She discovered that her husband spent the night in the jungle behaving as a woman. " If you are not interested in woman why did you marry me?" asked Bahuchara. The prince begged her forgiveness and said his parents had forced him into marriage so that he could father children. Bahuchara declared that she would forgive him if he and like him worshipped her as a goddess, dressesd as a woman. Today Bahuchara, Whose temple is located in Gujarat, is worshipped by impotent men, eunuchs, homosexuals and hermaphrodites seeking redemption from a life that has cast them out of mainstream society. Bahuchara is depicted in iconography as sitting on male roosters or fowls - thus symbolising her power over the male gender. OM SHAKTHI , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > Ahmedabad, INDIA (October 1, 2003) - During Navratra, women can be > seen dancing a garba at the Ma Baucharaji Mandir that tells the tale > of a local princess who jumped into the temple pond and turned into > a prince. > > The unusual story of magical sex change goes on to describe how she > then marries the princess of a neighbouring kingdom. > > Not all the dancers are women – some are men who have come to become > eunuchs. According to legend, this is one of the places where Arjun > hid, dressed as a woman. Since then, Ma Baucharaji Mandir has become > the spiritual home of every eunuch in India. > > "Men come here to become eunuchs. It is only possible if the Goddess > allows it," said Urvashi, a eunuch. > > While the eunuchs, locally known as Pawaiyas, are amongst the chief > devotees of Ma Baucharaji, her bodyguards are equally unusual –the > Kamaliyas, believed to be Muslim converts, became devotees of the > goddess during the reign of Allauddin Khilji. > > Their genealogy, recorded in a painting at the temple depicts the > story of the hens of Baucharaji. The temple had hundreds of hens, > which are considered her royal vehicle. > > When Allauddin Khilji's army came to destroy the temple, the > soldiers killed and ate the birds. When the goddess came to know > what had happened, she summoned the hens and they began to emerge > out of the stomachs of the men. > > Only those who hadn't eaten survived. Seeing the miracle, they > became Ma Baucharaji's devotees. > > As a sign of respect to the goddess, the Muslim soldiers decided to > dress up as women and men simultaneously, a tradition which > continued till two decades ago. > > "We were clean shaven on one side and had a moustache on the other. > We wore a bangle in one hand and kept a trishul in the other. We > wore both the ghagra and a dhoti," said Kalidas Pujara, the temple > priest. > > But today the converts deny their Muslim origins, even though they > still bury their dead. > > But Ma Baucharaji is not some obscure cult – the temple is the > second most important goddess temple in Gujarat after Ambaji and > visited by thousands of believers especially during Navratari. > > Baucharaji with its hazy boundaries between genders and religions is > a strange anomaly in a state which many consider the stronghold of > hardline Hindutva. > > Source: NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd) > URL: http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp? > slug=Ma+Baucharaji%3A+Goddess+of+eunuchs&id=43193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Hello All: Thank you for this information, Madhava Prabu and Devi Bhakta. I did not know about eunuchs in India. I thought eunuchs were something of the distant past. Pardon my ignorance. Does anyone know what is the significance or purpose of Indian men becoming eunuchs? Mary Ann , "Madhava Prabu" <mr_taboosingh> wrote: > Greetings to all, > > BAHUCHARA OF GUJARAT > > Bahuchara was given in marriage to a prince who never spent time with > her. Instead, he would go to the jungle every night on his white > horse. > > Bahuchara decided to follow her husband and find out why he never > came to her. As she had no horse, she rode a jungle fowl. She > discovered that her husband spent the night in the jungle behaving as > a woman. > > " If you are not interested in woman why did you marry me?" asked > Bahuchara. The prince begged her forgiveness and said his parents had > forced him into marriage so that he could father children. > > Bahuchara declared that she would forgive him if he and like him > worshipped her as a goddess, dressesd as a woman. > > Today Bahuchara, Whose temple is located in Gujarat, is worshipped by > impotent men, eunuchs, homosexuals and hermaphrodites seeking > redemption from a life that has cast them out of mainstream society. > > Bahuchara is depicted in iconography as sitting on male roosters or > fowls - thus symbolising her power over the male gender. > > > > OM SHAKTHI > > > > , "Devi Bhakta" > <devi_bhakta> wrote: > > Ahmedabad, INDIA (October 1, 2003) - During Navratra, women can be > > seen dancing a garba at the Ma Baucharaji Mandir that tells the > tale > > of a local princess who jumped into the temple pond and turned into > > a prince. > > > > The unusual story of magical sex change goes on to describe how she > > then marries the princess of a neighbouring kingdom. > > > > Not all the dancers are women – some are men who have come to > become > > eunuchs. According to legend, this is one of the places where Arjun > > hid, dressed as a woman. Since then, Ma Baucharaji Mandir has > become > > the spiritual home of every eunuch in India. > > > > "Men come here to become eunuchs. It is only possible if the > Goddess > > allows it," said Urvashi, a eunuch. > > > > While the eunuchs, locally known as Pawaiyas, are amongst the chief > > devotees of Ma Baucharaji, her bodyguards are equally unusual –the > > Kamaliyas, believed to be Muslim converts, became devotees of the > > goddess during the reign of Allauddin Khilji. > > > > Their genealogy, recorded in a painting at the temple depicts the > > story of the hens of Baucharaji. The temple had hundreds of hens, > > which are considered her royal vehicle. > > > > When Allauddin Khilji's army came to destroy the temple, the > > soldiers killed and ate the birds. When the goddess came to know > > what had happened, she summoned the hens and they began to emerge > > out of the stomachs of the men. > > > > Only those who hadn't eaten survived. Seeing the miracle, they > > became Ma Baucharaji's devotees. > > > > As a sign of respect to the goddess, the Muslim soldiers decided to > > dress up as women and men simultaneously, a tradition which > > continued till two decades ago. > > > > "We were clean shaven on one side and had a moustache on the other. > > We wore a bangle in one hand and kept a trishul in the other. We > > wore both the ghagra and a dhoti," said Kalidas Pujara, the temple > > priest. > > > > But today the converts deny their Muslim origins, even though they > > still bury their dead. > > > > But Ma Baucharaji is not some obscure cult – the temple is the > > second most important goddess temple in Gujarat after Ambaji and > > visited by thousands of believers especially during Navratari. > > > > Baucharaji with its hazy boundaries between genders and religions > is > > a strange anomaly in a state which many consider the stronghold of > > hardline Hindutva. > > > > Source: NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd) > > URL: http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp? > > slug=Ma+Baucharaji%3A+Goddess+of+eunuchs&id=43193 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Several years ago, I saw a documentary at the Noo Yawk Natural History Museum, titled "Eunuchs, India's Third Gender." According to this film, some eunuchs form an ashram around a eunuch Guru, and they accompany wedding parties, flirting and performing shamanic rituals that are supposed to draw away bad luck from the marrying couple, for which they are paid a fee. Other eunuchs are independant, plying the ancient trade of prostitution. Many such eunuchs are in the forefront of the AIDS Awareness movement, teaching their "real girl" counterparts how to use condoms and safe sex to avoid contagion. Most eunuchs are men who feel they are born into the wrong gender, and submit to castration by other eunuchs. (Said an interviewed eunuch in the film, "Women bleed every month. We eunuchs bleed only once.") Nowadays many use hormone therapy to improve their female appearance, but none seem to resort to modern gender reassignment surgery. In the old days, a pretty boy might be sold to a eunuch pimp, and made a eunuch without his own consent. Some eunuchs were born intersexed, with ambiguous genitalia, or be congenitally impotent, or simply homosexual. (The Gay Liberation movement struggles in India against the notion that a man who loves another man ought to "cut it off.") -- Len/ Kalipadma On Sun, 05 Oct 2003 03:25:48 -0000 "Mary Ann" <maryann writes: > Hello All: > > Thank you for this information, Madhava Prabu and Devi Bhakta. I > did not know about eunuchs in India. I thought eunuchs were > something of the distant past. Pardon my ignorance. Does > anyone know what is the significance or purpose of Indian men > becoming eunuchs? > ______________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2003 Report Share Posted October 5, 2003 Hello Len/kalipadma: Thank you for the information. Yes, I thought as much regarding the "cut it off" mentality. I was likening the worship of Ma Baucharaji with the worship of Sati in terms of consciousness regarding social customs and politics about gender, the economy, etc. That people would encourage someone to "cut it off" or would choose to "cut it off" causes me to again recall the beauty of Ardhanareshwari. Neither side need surrender to nor worship the other. Each "side," in supporting itself, allows the other "side" to support itself. No cutting. , kalipadma@j... wrote: > > Several years ago, I saw a documentary at the Noo Yawk Natural History > Museum, titled "Eunuchs, India's Third Gender." > > According to this film, some eunuchs form an ashram around a eunuch Guru, > and they accompany wedding parties, flirting and performing shamanic > rituals that are supposed to draw away bad luck from the marrying couple, > for which they are paid a fee. Other eunuchs are independant, plying the > ancient trade of prostitution. Many such eunuchs are in the forefront of > the AIDS Awareness movement, teaching their "real girl" counterparts how > to use condoms and safe sex to avoid contagion. > > Most eunuchs are men who feel they are born into the wrong gender, and > submit to castration by other eunuchs. (Said an interviewed eunuch in > the film, "Women bleed every month. We eunuchs bleed only once.") > Nowadays many use hormone therapy to improve their female appearance, but > none seem to resort to modern gender reassignment surgery. In the old > days, a pretty boy might be sold to a eunuch pimp, and made a eunuch > without his own consent. Some eunuchs were born intersexed, with > ambiguous genitalia, or be congenitally impotent, or simply homosexual. > (The Gay Liberation movement struggles in India against the notion that a > man who loves another man ought to "cut it off.") > > -- Len/ Kalipadma > > > On Sun, 05 Oct 2003 03:25:48 -0000 "Mary Ann" > <maryann@m...> writes: > > Hello All: > > > > Thank you for this information, Madhava Prabu and Devi Bhakta. I > > did not know about eunuchs in India. I thought eunuchs were > > something of the distant past. Pardon my ignorance. Does > > anyone know what is the significance or purpose of Indian men > > becoming eunuchs? > > > > > ______________ > The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.