The Hijra Cultural Roles In Indian Society

Third gendered people are considered to be neither male nor female. The categorization is either made by the person themselves or the society in which they live in. The Hijra are a community of third gendered people who exist across South East Asia. They have established themselves in parts of Indian society through spiritual Hindu practices, but they are mostly followers of Islam and not Hinduism. The role Hijra play in society is based on the cultural practices they are involved in and the spiritual power they possess. Hijra cultural roles in the Hindu religion make them valuable and welcomed in Indian society. The Hijra are a group of people in India who are considered and consider themselves as a third gender separate from the traditional

Further, in Hindu culture to be considered a man a person has to be able to produce children especially sons which Hijra cannot do(Nanda 1999:38). The Hijra are not considered women despite their feminine personalities and appearances because they cannot bear a child(Nanda 1999:38). In India, mythology plays a large role in the formation of various cultures. In Indian mythology the practice of asceticism plays a role in the process of creation. In a version of a Hindu creation myth, Buchuchara Mata were journeying with a caravan when they were attacked by thieves. When this happened Buchuchara Mata decided to cut off her breasts which happened to curse the thieves(Nanda 1999:39). This Hindu myth is one of the reasons the Hijra are accepted positively in Indian society. Also, the Hijra have a contribution to Hindu religion due to the fact that at weddings and births they are employed there and they have the power to bless or curse a family(Nanda

India has a reputation for being a very “sexually tolerant society”(Nanda 1999:49) . The reason for this is the roles that Hijra play in Hindu religion but also because Islam and Hinduism are both sexually positive. This means that both of these religions have a particularly wide range of sexual expression and acceptance compared different to western cultures(Nanda 1999:50). More specifically for Hinduism, “humans achieve their goals-salvation, bliss, knowledge and (sexual) pleasure”(Nanda 1999:50). This is different from western cultures because many westerners view sexual expression in very strict categories and contractions to these categories causes discomfort to certain people. Hinduism allows for more options in sexual expression which allows for “celebrating the idea that universe is boundlessly various, and that all possibilities may exist without excluding each other”(Nanda 1999:53). Indian people are very tolerable, embrace social exceptions, and endless different personalities to the point where Hijra are