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Koovagam is a village in the Ulundurpettai taluk in 
The festival takes place at the Koothandavar Temple dedicated to
Kallakurichi district
Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019.
History
During Ancient ...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. It is famous for its annual festival of transgender and transvestite individuals, which takes fifteen days in the Tamil month of Chitrai (April/May).
The festival takes place at the Koothandavar Temple dedicated to Iravan
Iravan also known as Iravat and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes of the Mahabharata) and the Naga princess Ulupi, Iravan is the central deity of the
cu ...
(Koothandavar). The participants marry the Lord Koothandavar, thus reenacting an ancient history of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
/Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
who married him after taking a form of a woman called Mohini. The next day, they mourn the god Koothandavar's death through ritualistic dances and by breaking their bangles. An annual beauty pageant and several other competitions like singing contests are held.
Basic rights of transgender and transvestite individuals and health care are discussed in seminars too. People from different places attend this festival.
Location From Viluppuram 25 km and from Ulundurpet 15 km.
See also
*Tamil sexual minorities
Tamil sexual minorities are Tamil people who do not conform to heterosexual gender norms. They may identify as LGBTQIA. It has been estimated that India has a population of 2.5 million homosexuals, though not all of them are Tamil, and not all Tami ...
References
External links
* Transgender topics and religion Villages in Kallakurichi district LGBT events in India LGBT and Hinduism Gender and Hinduism {{Viluppuram-geo-stub