I reached Ujjain on a hot sultry evening of April, two days ahead of the opening day and first Shahi Snan of Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2016. Next day, one important thing in my to-do list was to see the pre-Kumbh processions, called
Peshwai. The leading Akharas (commune of saint groups) take out
processions to demonstrate their grandeur and importance. The one scheduled on that day
was of the Kinnar Akhara (commune of Bisexuals/Transexuals).
There are 13 officially
recognized Akharas- for more details refer http://www.simhasthujjain.in/about-simhasth/akhara-details/
1. Panchdashnaam Juna Akhara
2 Panchayati anand akhara
3 Panchayati Mahanirvani akhara
4 Nirvani Ani Akhara
5 Nirmal Akhara
6 Digambar ani akhara
7 Nirmohi Akhara
8 Panchayati Naya Udaseen Akhara
9 Panch Atal Akhara
10 Taponidhi Niranjani Akhara
11 Panchayati bada udasin akhara
12 Panchayati Agni Akhara
13 Panchayati Avhan Akhara
These
Akharas are granted recognition and official status by the Akhil
Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), which is an apex body of Sikh and Hindu saints. The concept of Akharas was propounded by the 8th
century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya who first set up seven Akharas to strengthen
the Hindu religion and unify devotees practicing varied rituals and customs. ABAP plays an important role in various
religious discourses such as Ram Janmabhoomi issue and interface with the
government administration regarding important decisions for Kumbh melas. Kinnar Akhara was formed in October 2015 with
transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi as their spiritual head
('Mahamandaleshwar'). ABAP had denied
recognition for the newly formed Akhara.
Another all-woman Akhara which created quite a flutter in 2013 Allahabad
Kumbh and was allotted land by the Ujjain administration in the 2016 event also
met with the same fate in being denied permission by ABAP for Shahi Snan
(joining the elite group of Akharas in royal bath). Trikal Bhavanta, the woman seer and head of
the Pari Akhara announced a dramatic plan for self-burial in protest and dug a
10 ft pit for the purpose. She however
ended up being arrested.
Nonetheless,
the Kinnars (eunuchs) decided to go forward with the plans, including setting
up their own camp and holding their own Peshwai on the day before the first
Shahi Snan. An image of Ardhnarishwara- an
amalgamation of the male-female form in Lord Shiva- reportedly formed the
backdrop for the Kinnar Akhara’s main stage in their camp. They put forward several arguments in support
of their stance- the transgenders are saints in real sense of the term because of
ingrained asceticism, free from belief in caste, and are mentioned in Hindu
scriptures with positions of dignity. Indeed,
the transgenders were once mainstream in Indian social system but lost it in
course of time. In Ujjain, the devotees
flocked to see the Peshwai of the Kinnars and also to their camp seeking
blessings, indicating that at the core there is still social and religious
sanction about the community. This
article by Devdutt Pattanaik provides a deeper insight: http://scroll.in/article/809995/how-a-new-akhara-of-transgendered-people-stole-the-spotlight-at-the-ujjain-kumbh
When I
reached the precincts of the Mahakaal Temple, the excitement in the crowd about
the approaching Kinnar Akhara procession was palpable. The police looked tense, and none had
authentic information about the exact route of the procession. I learnt later that the reason of their
hassle was that the procession was unauthorized, and they were throwing coins
en route which resulted in huge crowd surge, raising fear of a stampede. The police administration was trying to
prevent the procession from coming near Mahakaal temple and Harsiddhi Chowk where
a huge crowd was waiting for the procession with eager anticipation. A member of the audience made a tongue-in-cheek
remark that such interest is not seen in the procession of big religious
leaders. I spend half an hour trying to
obtain information from police and public regarding the route of the
procession, and finally climbed up a watch tower which was set at Harsiddhi
Chowk for CRPF for a bird’s eye view.
Soon, there was a flurry of activity and the head of the commune was
seen being escorted past the crossing amid heavy police protection. The rally had been disbanded. It was an exciting beginning of the 2016 Kumbh
mela experience for me.
