The Battle of Kurushetra has begun.Lord Aravan has been sacrificed at the altar of battlefront.Aravanis are wailing over his death everywhere.Every villager in Koovagam and 18 surrounding villages such as Naththam still narrate the story of Aravan in their own style.The legend of Aravan continues.
Lord Aravan or Koothandavar is the hero who has vanquished seven senas of the Kauravas in 3.75 nazhis (90 minutes), during the single opportunity he got to fight the war of Kurushetras, before his sacrifice..The inevitable happened.He had died.
The people are passionately moved when Aravan was sacrificed on Wednesday.
While thousands of Aravanis (trasngenders) lamented the death of their lord Aravan,an equal number of faithful villagers broke their bangles and cried that their ‘partner’ was sacrificed leaving them alone. The temple priest,M.Krishnan, who was one of the traditional priests of the Koothandavar temple was scene helping in the ‘widowing ceremony.’
The villagers are used to the reading of the 18 day reading of Mahabaratha at the Koothndavar temple during the Chithirai festival.As the 16 day festival came to close on Wednesday with rituals reminding people of the instances in one of the great Indian epics such as the sacrifice of Aravan, the village witnessed an eerie silence.
Lord Aravan is dead now.But the rituals for bringing him back to life have already started at the Kaliamman temple near the Koovagam lake.He will be brought back to life in the month of Aadi, three months from now.
According to the villagers, Lord Aravan was born to Arjuna through one of his eight wives Nagakanni.For them he is the protector of all times.
People avoid any auspicious ceremony during the Chithirai festival, because it is more of season for prayers and remembrance of Lord Aravan or Koothandavar.Thousands of young men in the villages got married to Koothandavar and underwent the widowing ceremony.
The bonhomie of the villagers towards transgenders visiting from all over the world is interesting.The visitors are considered as just blessings and not even a single paise is collected from them.
Transgenders are happy that the village has been hospitable for several years.
According to one Rasika, a transgender from
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