India has a rich mythical and historical heritage when it is about LGBTQ+ communities. That is seen in a precise sense for transgenders in India as well. They have developed distinctive groups and have joined together in different regions of the nation to seek a better life.

The Aravanis take their name from Lord Aravan. Aravan is the chief God of the Kuttantavar cult. He is featured in one of Mahabharata's most dramatic stories, in which he sacrifices himself for the greater good. Aravan was the son of Arjuna, the legendary Mahabharata hero, and Ulupi, the Naga princess. Aravan, like his father, was a formidable fighter.

The Tamil translation of the Mahabharata mentions a particular sacrificial ceremony known as the 'Kalappali,' which means battlefield sacrifice. It was believed that whoever performed this sacrifice would win the fight. In this ceremony, the most heroic warrior must offer his life in front of Goddess Kali to secure his side's triumph. Aravan volunteered to be sacrificed in the rite.

Aravan begs Krishna in "Parata Venpa" for the gift of a valiant death on the battlefield. Aravan is said to have been awarded a second boon: the ability to witness the entire 18-day war. The third boon can only be found in traditional ceremonies. This third boon allows Aravan to marry before the sacrifice, granting him the privilege of cremation and burial offerings.

However, no lady wanted to marry Aravan because she was afraid of being a widow. Krishna resolves this difficulty in the Kuttantavar cult version by taking on his feminine form, Mohini, marrying Aravan, and spending that night with him. According to the Koovagam account, Krishna mourns as a widow following Aravan's sacrifice the next day, after which he returns to his natural male form for the remainder of the conflict.

The Tamil Nadu Aravanis are so named because they say they are the brides of Aravan, a famous and mythological warrior. The fabled tales of Aravan's marriage and sacrifice are therefore re-enacted at the yearly Aravan festival (also known as Koothandavar) held in Koovagam village in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district. The fundamental focus of the 18-day annual event conducted on each side of the full moon night in the Tamil month of Chittirai is the ritual reenactment of Aravan's sacrifice.

Throughout history, Tamil Nadu's Aravanis have symbolically achieved an unimaginable feat despite having so many odds. Their tenacity and perseverance over the years have resulted in a significant improvement in their social standing, welfare, and recognition.

They marked a watershed moment in the history of transgender rights in India since Tamil Nadu became the first state to establish an Aravani Welfare Board, which was created exclusively to address the problems and welfare of the Aravani community. The Welfare Board was founded in 2008 by a remarkable group of Aravani activists who, via legal and advocacy methods, ensured that the Board had capable representation in the form of ten Aravani members.

Transgender ID cards and health insurance cards have also been provided by the state. In 2009, Tamil Nadu performed the first district-level state-level transgender population count. It is worth mentioning that no other state in India had undertaken any of these programmes by that time. It was until a few years later, around 2012, that some of these plans began to appear in other states.

Despite long-standing proof of their existence, transgender people in India continue to face estrangement, exclusion from society, discrimination, and abuse. This marginalised and underprivileged population faces widespread and deep-seated social marginalisation. It all starts with their families, who deny their transgender offspring the opportunity to inherit and family dignity. Some segments of society frequently mock these gender-variant people, eventually hurting them physically and verbally and pushing them to have sex.

Intending to lessen this injustice, numerous artists have gathered under the Aravani Art Project to paint Jaipur in the colours of humanity. These painters began painting the walls at Vivek Vihar Metro Station. CARTIST Jaipur, in partnership with Jaipur Metro, is organising the initiative, which intends to use art as a way of expression for the Hijra or Aravani population. This gives the Aravanis a forum to communicate their tales and experiences via creative arts.

Aravani Art Project's murals have become instantly recognisable signs of self-expression, awareness, and acceptance around the country, led by both trans and cis women. The artworks are vivid, lively, and eye-catching, often showing people from many walks of life or, in some cases, reflecting the painters' own faces back at them. The group has already splashed colour and spirit on walls in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, allowing trans women to earn a living through the medium of art while recapturing a space from which they have been previously and deliberately rejected.