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The Tragic Story Of Aravan: Origin Of The Third Gender
Most of us find Mahabharata to be a very confusing story. This is because Mahabharata has a lot of characters and each character is related to the other by some or the other way. As this epic has so many legendary characters such as Pandavas, Draupadi, Kauravas around whom the whole story revolves, people are not quite familiar with the other characters who also have a crucial role in the epic.
Today, we will tell you the story of Aravan or Iravan, one such minor yet crucial character of Mahabharata. It is from his lineage that the transgenders are said to have been born. That is why the transgenders or hijras are also known as Aravanis.
Image Courtesy: Kabir Orlowski/Kirk Siang
The story of Lord Aravan can be called one of the most tragic tales of Mahabharata where he sacrifices himself for the greater good. But he does leave a lineage before he dies which makes him immortal in the history of mankind. Want to know his story? Then, read on.
ALSO READ: THE STORY OF A WARRIOR WHO COULD HAVE ENDED THE MAHABHARATA WAR IN A MINUTE
Aravan:
Arjuna's
Son
Aravan
was
the
son
of
the
great
Mahabharata
warrior,
Arjuna
and
his
wife
Ulupi,
the
Naga
princess.
Aravan
is
the
central
God
of
the
cult
of
Kuttantavar.
Like
his
father,
Aravan
was
a
fierce
warrior.
He
participated
in
the
Kurukshetra
war
with
his
father
and
the
other
Pandavas.
He
fought
bravely
and
gave
himself
up
for
a
huge
sacrifice.
Image Courtesy: Robert Heng
Aravan's
Sacrifice
For
The
War
The
earliest
source
of
mention
regarding
Aravan
is
found
in
Peruntevanar's
Parata
Venpa,
a
9th-century
Tamil
version
of
the
Mahabharata.
There
it
talks
about
a
special
sacrificial
ritual
known
as
the
'Kalappali',
which
means
sacrifice
to
the
battlefield.
It
was
believed
that
whoever
performs
this
sacrifice
ensures
victory
on
the
battlefield.
In
this
ritual,
the
most
valiant
warrior
must
sacrifice
his
life
in
front
of
Goddess
Kali
in
order
to
ensure
the
victory
of
his
side.
Aravan
volunteers
to
sacrifice
himself
in
the
ritual.
Image Courtesy: Praveen P
The
Three
Boons
In
Parata
Venpa,
Aravan
asks
Krishna
to
grant
him
the
boon
of
a
heroic
death
on
the
battlefield.
Aravan is believed to have been granted a second boon - to see the entire 18-day war.
The third boon is found only in the folk rituals. This third boon provides Aravan to be married before the sacrifice, entitling him to the right of cremation and funerary offerings (bachelors were buried). However, no woman wanted to marry Aravan, fearing the inevitable doom of widowhood. In the Kuttantavar cult version, Krishna solves this dilemma by taking on his female form, Mohini, marries Aravan and spends that night with him. The Koovagam version additionally relates Krishna's mourning as a widow after Aravan's sacrifice the next day, after which he returns to his original masculine form for the duration of the war.
The
Third
Sex:
Aravanis
Aravan
is
known
as
Kuttantavar
in
the
cult
which
bears
his
name,
and
in
which
he
is
the
chief
deity.
Here,
the
marriage
of
Aravan
and
Mohini,
her
widowhood
and
mourning
after
Aravan's
sacrifice
form
the
central
theme
of
an
18-day
annual
festival
either
side
of
the
night
of
the
full
moon
in
the
Tamil
month
of
Cittirai.
Image Courtesy: Ian Taylor Photography
The Alis or the Aravanis (transgenders) take part in the Koovagam festival by re-enacting the marriage of Aravan and Mohini. It is believed that all the Aravanis are married to Aravan and hence, when the sacrifice is re-enacted, the Aravanis become widows of Aravan and mourn his death.
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