- By Sahelee Rakshit
- Tue, 21 Jan 2025 04:22 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Mahakumbh Kinnar Akhara: Over 3,000 transgender people, the majority of whom were abandoned by their families, are living in the akhara and participating in the Sangam's holy bathing rite. They now have optimism that they will be accepted in society because of the increase in followers vying for their blessings.
Pavitra Nandan Giri, the Mahamandleshawar of Kinnar Akhara, who identified her as a woman, told PTI that eunuchs were always disliked by society.
"We have always been considered inferior. When we wanted to register an akhara for ourselves, questions were raised about our religion. We were asked why we needed it. Despite the resistance, we managed to register it 10 years ago and this is our first Maha Kumbh," she said.
Akharas are sects or monastic institutions that unite ascetics, or seers, under certain spiritual customs and practices.
Giri said, "Today, we are able to take a dip at the Sangam, conduct processions similar to other akharas, and perform rituals. The akhara is flooded with pilgrims and they are lining up to take our blessings. We are proud to have found our place and hopefully we will be accepted more in society as well."
Giri, a nursing graduate, claimed that, like many transgender people, her family abandoned her and that she had to find her new family and community.
The fourteenth akhara at the Maha Kumbh is the Akhil Bharatiya Kinnar Akhara.
The 13 akharas are separated into three groups: Udaseen, Bairagi (Vaishnav), and Sanyasi (Saivite).
There are designated times for certain ceremonies in each akhara, which results in a lively environment with processions that include musicians, decked elephants, and horses.
Of the 13, the Juna Akhara is one of the biggest and oldest.