Cross-Dressing for the Goddess

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Cross-dressing for the Goddess

6 Apr 2008

The Times of India

 

Brightly coloured sarees, matching accessories and

boxes of make-up litter the bed in the room. Sheetal,

Sathya, Rambha and Maya chatter excitedly as they get

dressed, fussing over saree pleats and doing each other's

hair. They are like any other bunch of young women

getting ready for a festive occasion. Only that they are

not women. Their deep voices give that away.

 

They are about to take part in the Kottankulangara

Sridevi temple festival. The ancient temple in Chavara,

Kerala, has a unique tradition. On the last two days of

the festival, regular men, common office-going

professionals, dress up as women for the

chamayavilakku (chamaya is make-up, vilakku is lamp).

Bedecked with flowers, lamps in hand, they wait

patiently till the wee hours of dawn for the goddess to

bless them.

 

Every March, thousands gather at the temple in the hope

of seeing their wishes fulfilled. With an increasing

number of sponsors, the 11-day festival has now become

a 20-day affair. In the last few years, the festival has

been attracting an increasing number of homosexuals

and transvestites, chiefly from Kerala, Bangalore,

Hyderabad and Mumbai. The festival gives them the

freedom to crossdress and woo potential partners.

 

" I have great faith in the goddess, " says Sheetal, as she

drapes her orange sequinned saree. " But for us kothis

(feminine men), it's also an opportunity to dress up,

because many of our parents are not aware of our real

identity. At least, in the name of God, I can openly wear

a saree. " Sheetal and her friends are part of Sahodaran, a

Chennai-based group that works for the prevention of

HIV/AIDS among homosexuals. Sheetal has been

coming here for the last three years. Maya is " making

her debut " , and is mercilessly teased by her friends.

 

At the festival, it is easy to distinguish the transvestites

from the regular devotees, who sport sideburns and hairy

arms and are clearly ill at ease with the make-up and

attire. The kothis, on the other hand, have taken great

pains with their appearance. Bangles adorn their freshly

waxed arms, their shoes and accessories are perfectly

matched.

 

They even choose their kothi names with care. And take

great pains to look feminine. Which means creating

cleavages, stuffing bras with sponges or, for a more

natural feel, condoms filled with just the right amount of

water.

 

The kothis look forward to the chamayavilakku as it is a

great opportunity to catch up with friends. Like Baburaj,

who has come all the way down from Kannur. Clad in a

cream and red skirt, a rose tucked behind his ear, he

greets old friends.

 

The festival itself holds great meaning for them.

According to legend, little boys grazing cattle had first

stumbled upon the deity. While trying to dehusk a

coconut, they accidentally hit a stone which began to

bleed. The frightened children told their parents about

this. The adults then consulted astrologers. Finally, the

phenomenon was attributed to the presence of Vana

Durga. A temple was built. The little boys dressed as

girls and held lamps to welcome the goddess.

 

But there is another version. A group of cowherds used

to dress up as girls and playfully offer kottan (what

remains of the coconut after it is grated and the milk

extracted) to a stone. Pleased by their devotion, the

goddess, in the garb of an ordinary woman, appeared

before them and blessed them. " They must have actually

been kothis, " says Sunil Menon, the founder of

Sahodaran.

 

As dusk falls, the kothis make their way to the temple,

about 14 km from Kollam. Crowds jostle to take a look

at the new arrivals. Make-up stalls are everywhere.

Many, like 60-year-old TS Mahesh, have been coming

here for years to set up the stalls. " I used to come here

with my father, " says Mahesh, who otherwise does

make-up for dance and drama troupes, and TV serials.

The stalls charge anything from Rs 100 to Rs 200. You

have to get your own saree and ornaments though, while

wigs are available for hire.

 

 

" My son held the lamp 32 years ago. This year both my

grandsons are doing it, " says Karunakaran Nair from

Kottarakkara, as he waits patiently for their turn. Nair is

in regular male clothing. His 25-year-old grandson, who

has come down from Chennai, is clad in a settu mundu,

a traditional Keralite variety of the saree. He is waiting

for his make-up to be done. The younger grandson, a 13-

year-old, is all ready, clad in an orange pattu pavadai

(skirt), with matching bangles and flowers in his close

cropped hair. There is a great demand for the heavy

wooden lamps which are available for hire. Once you

enter the temple, you have to get a Rs 10 coupon which

you pin on. Dress codes are strict. Only sarees, half

sarees, skirts and churidars are allowed. People who turn

up sporting western wear or revealing clothes are turned

away.

 

After lighting the lamp at the deepasthambham (pillar of

lamps) and offering prayers, devotees circle the temple

and walk out to line the streets outside. From then, it's a

long wait till the early hours of dawn when the goddess

arrives in a procession to bless the faithful.

 

Little children nap in their parents' laps through the long

night. Some devotees come only for a few hours. Like

advocate Srinivasan, who is here with his wife and

daughters. Srinivasan, a tall well-built man, is clad in the

traditional saree, settu mundu. His face is heavily

pancaked, the brows exaggeratedly etched, lips painted a

bright red. " My daughter has an exam tomorrow but I

don't want to miss the ceremony as I have attended it for

the last 20 years, " he says. There are some drunkards in

the crowd. Some onlookers pass lewd comments like,

'Will you come with me after this?' and 'How pregnant

are you?'

 

Sheetal and her friends draw a lot of attention. Men

whip out their mobile phones and pose with them for

photographs. While it is usually light-hearted fun, as the

night progresses, a few men get persistent with the

kothis. " It's not so aggressive as Koovagam (a festival in

Tamil Nadu) where eunuchs, homosexuals and others

congregate, primarily to have sex. But men do feel us up

and demand phone numbers, " says Sheetal. " Some even

follow us to the lodge and knock on our doors. "

 

The kothis soon beat a hasty retreat but are upbeat about

returning the next day. " It's the last day of the festival

and we are expecting more friends to turn up, " one of

them says, as they wave goodbye.

 

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