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India is a land of many cultures. Each has a different custom, a different ritual. While some allow certain things, others do not. This is what makes the culture and the practices so special. However, there are some Hindu rituals where men dress up as women to perform them. What are these rituals and why is it done?
Buri Ma Boron
A video that is making many rounds on Instagram is Buri Ma Boron. Recently Bengalis celebrated Jagadhatri Puja. Bengal celebrates many Puja in the month of Kartik, after Durga, Laxmi and Kali Puja, comes Jagadhatri Puja. She is considered one of the reincarnations of Goddess Durga, who is known to be the Holder of the World (the literal translation of her name). The cult of Goddess Jagadhatri is derived from Tantra, where she becomes the symbol of Sattva, with Durga as Rajas and Kali as Tamas.
In such a practice, the oldest goddess decorated with gold and silver ornaments that arrive a night before the Jagaddatri Puja is from Chasapara Barowari of Krishnanagar. This Puja is celebrated with grandeur in many places in West Bengal, with Krishnanagar and Chandannagar, a former French colony in Hoogly District, standing out among all. This idol is also popularly known as Buri Ma, and it is this Puja reel from the 117-year-old Chandannagar Puja which is getting viral. The reason? Here, men dress up as women during the visarjan ceremony.
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Women were always an integral part of the visarjan ceremony, in fact, originally, some 260 or more years back, it was women who would perform this ritual. However, under the reign of Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy, who defeated the Mughal rule in Bengal, this ritual was started as a necessity for men to disguise themselves as women, so they could be kept indoors safely.
Also Read: Why Do We Worship Different Gods On Different Days Of The Week
Sadu Mata Ni Pol Garba
Gujarat is also not behind, following a 200-year-old tradition, men in Sadu Mata Ni Pol, dress up as women to perform Garba. These men are from the Barot community, who wear sarees and perform to honour an ancient curse.
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As per the local belief, some 200 years ago, a woman named Saduben sought protection from the men of Barot community, where the Mughal nobles demanded her as a concubine. However, the men did not defend her and it led to the tragic loss of her child. In this grief and anger, she cursed men and declared that their future generations would suffer as cowards. She then committed 'sati'.
Since then, to lift the curse and seek Sadu Mata's blessings, the men dress up as women to perform garba.
Kottanakulangara Sree Devi Temple
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Then there is Kerala's Kollam District, where men dress up like women to enter the Kottanjulangara Sree Devi temple on the occasion of Chamayavilakku, a 10 to 12-day-long festival in March.
This ritual too dates back to many centuries, when cowherd boys dressed as girls played around a stone they worshipped as a deity. One day, a Goddess appeared before them from stone and when the word of this event spread, men from different villages reached there, dressed as women to offer the Goddess.
Do you know any festival or culture where men dress as women that we missed here?