Story of the Hijra: India's Third Gender

The Hijra are a historic group of peoples originating from India. These people identify not as male or female, but classify themselves as being a part of a third gender. There are other groups in India who are composed of third gender individuals, but the Hijra constitute the most historically important and well-known group.

Most Hijras are classified as being male at birth but they dress in saris (an Indian female traditional garment) and often wear makeup which make them look more conventionally feminine (Hylton et al, 2018). Some foreigners label Hijras as being transgender, however, Indian society considers them a different gender compared to the male-female dichotomy (Hylton et al, 2018). Those who undergo transition can still be a part of the Hijra community.

The hijra has roots in ancient Hinduism and they play an important role in certain Hindu practices. More of this will be explained later. Many people in the Hijra community come from various backgrounds and you do not have to be Hindu to be a part of the community. Much of the members are Muslim, and they are even some Christians (Harvard, 2018). Despite this, the Hijra are largely associated with Hinduistic beliefs and practices.

Those who wish to be initiated as a member of the Hijra must undergo certain steps. They must leave their home to join the community, where they are given the label of 'chela', essentially the same status as being a disciple (Hylton et al, 2018). Chelas are managed by midranking hijras who then report to gurus (Hylton et al, 2018). Being an hijra means joining an organization with differing levels of hierarchies which intereact with one another. The goal of midranking hijras is to recruit as many chelas as possible in order get more money, and this in turn means more protection against abusive individuals and the police (Hylton et al, 2018). The hijra community is much like that of an organization that requires admission to join, creating benefits for both chelas and elder members alike.

Hijra history goes back millenium to the days of ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent. Mentions of hijras date back to the Sanskrit epics of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Ramayana details the legendary lord Rama and his exiled adventure from the city of Ayodhya (Harvard, 2018). The people of Ayodhya followed him to the forest where he said "Men and women, please wipe your tears and go away", however, some still stayed behind as they were neither man nor women (Harvard, 2018). The Mahabharata details the struggle between two cousisns in a bloody war. A hero, Arjuna, is reportedbly been described as being third gender (Harvard, 2018).

While hijras were based primarily off of Hindu epics, the group did survive when new ruler came to rule ancient India. The Mughals were an Islamic empire ruling Northern India. Despite this religious shift in rule, hijras were still documented in numerous texts (Harvard, 2018). Some texts even details accounts of the Mughals as being 'generous patrons' towards those who were identified as being third gender in the 15th and 16th centuries (Harvard, 2018). The third gender community can be inferred to play a rather significant role within the confines of Indian society.

The hijra are not a recent phenamonnon. They were referrenced all the way back to some of the oldest surviving pieces of writing of the whole world. These poems, Ramayana and Mahabharata, form the basis for the religion known as Hinduism today. A religion which boasts of more than a billion followers and therefore makes up the third largest religion in the world. They have survived for thousands of years, through different rulers, and different ideologies.

From these historical beginnings, the hijra gained power mainly from religious customs and practices rooted in Hinduism. In Hindu weddings and birth ceremonies, the hijra are commonly invited to households to perform multiple acts including dances, songs, and blessings (Harvard, 2018). Hijras are also known to come to a ceremony univitied, performing songs and dance, and leaving with donations of rupees (Harvard, 2018). The hijra are strongly rooted in religious practices.

Beyond religion, the hijra also gained influence in the mystical domain. The blessings to babies at Hindu birth ceremonies, as mentioned in the last paragraph, can either bless or curse the family (Harvard, 2018). Blessings include increased fertility for the couple in hopes of procreating another child, while curses could be casted depending on the treatment towards a hijra such as not paying or being overly rude or hostile (Harvard, 2018).

The history of the hijra being intertwined as witnesssed in their depiction in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata, inherent religious responsibilities were granted to the hijra. In addition to religion, the hijra allegedly acquire mystical powers through either blessing or cursing families. Their asexual stances, identification of being neither man nor women, and removal of genitalia gives the hijra power in these ceremonies.

Britain colonized India with rule starting in 1757 and lasting until the Indian indepedence movement in 1947 (Sen, 2021). During this period, India was introduced to Western Judaeo-Christian values which were implemented from the British rulers, thus affecting the whole Indian population. With British rule lasting almost two centuries, they did leave quite a big impact that can be seen in modern day India.

India was ruled by both the royal crown and the British East India Company. From factories being set up by the East India Company, the government backed conglomerate gradually took over the subcontinent (Sen, 2021). This made India into producing commodities such as rubber and spices for Western countries, everyting was converted to make profit (Sen, 2021). In the case of every other instance of colonialism, the native inhabitants were exploited and reaped barely no benefits from their occupiers. The same can be said in India. This left India as a poor state as colonial rule focused on their home country (the UK) and not the actual country itself.

Almost everyone except Indian elite were exploited for personal gain and profit by the British. In addition, some ideals were transferred onto the occupied populace, especially regarding gender relations. As mentioned before, western dogma in terms of gender is composed of two, rigid classifications of gender. The male and female dichotomy often were carried through institutions such as male and female bathrooms or registration of gender on documents. These things were put into place to cement and remind everyone of traditional gender roles.

Additional laws which directly hurt the hijra community include a 1871 law criminalizing all hijras (Harvard, 2018). The law instructs colonial authorities to arrest any hijra on sight (Harvard, 2018). Laws like this and the inherent influence of western gender views grew amongst the populace throughout the two centuries of British rule. The hijras historical status lessened as colonialism took its root amongst Indian society.

The hijra were greatly diminished in terms of social status as the British controlled India. Many hijras across the country report feelings of alienation from the broader society as they are often regarded as being 'freaks' (Hylton et al, 2018). This label of being a freak also leads to other negative actions. Instances of being heckled, harassed, and even assaulted have been reported (Hylton et al, 2018).

Due to British colonialism pushing the hijra to the outside of mainstream society, the community also faces economic shortcomings. Many face endemic poverty and live in unsanitary conditions. Many are forced to rely on activities related to prostitution and begging along busy streets (Hylton et al, 2018). Not only the public regard hijras as being 'freaks', but government institutions do not treat the group as proper citizens. The police have even been reported to abuse hijras (Hylton et al, 2018).

This depiction of the current hijra community lays in stark contrast to the powers and high status the hijra enjoyed before British colonialism. Religious ceremonies are rare to coem by due to the fact of the marginilization of the hijras. Hindu families may not invite hijras as they have been indoctrinated to values and laws imposed by the British regime. Hijras live in the margins of society.

While the hijra community have been pushed to the background, not all hope is lost. Several promising signs have been seen that would hopefully help hijras. In 2014, the Supreme Court of India recognized third gender citizens as deserving human rights (Harvard, 2018). They also instructed the Indian government to enhance educational and career opportunities for third gender communities (Harvard, 2018).

In addition to general government action to improve rights of hijras in India, third gender inviduals hope to change the social scenario. In 2015, Raigarh elected the first ever hijra mayor and the city of Kochi hired 23 hijra individuals to work for the municipal public transit system (Harvard, 2018). Advocates such as Laxmi Narayan Tripathi uses their voices to enact change and highlight the struggles of the hijra community. Their messages resonate not only in India, but reaches a true international audience. Through strides for the hijra in India, other third gender groups and people hope to see changei in their own countries.

The hijra are a historic third gender group of people which were mentioned in the founding Sanskrit epics of Hinduism. Through Hinduism, the hijra could perform special ceremonies for Hindu families. These practices helped the community gain power in both religious and mystical domains. But the British came and took control of India. The British colonial rule lowered the status of the hijra throughout the whole subcontinent, subjugating them to poverty and general hostility from the population. However, recent events from government entities and advocates should enhance the hijra community. And because of this, third gender individuals across the world now have hope for potential change.

References

Sen, Amartya 2021 Amartya Sen: What British rule really did for India. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, June 29.

2018 The third gender and Hijras. Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. Harvard.

Hylton, Sara, Jeffrey Gettleman, and Eve Lyons 2018 The peculiar position of India's third gender. The New York Times. The New York Times, February 17.

Kavi, Ashok Row 2018 Hijra Dancing Unpublished photograph. September 13. The Economic Times.

Hylton, Sara 2018 Radhika’s Daughters Unpublished photograph. February 17. The New York Times.

Herbert, Timothy 2017 Laxmi Narayan Tripathi Unpublished photograph. WikiCommons.

Ramayana and Mahabharata Unpublished photograph. Wikipedia.