The Patron Goddess of India’s Transgender Community

Every community has its own deity that it prays to. Bahuchara Mata holds a special place as the patron goddess of the transgender community in India. Countless folktales and legends surround her and she remains a source of faith and strength for the community.

The Indian transgender community places its faith in Bahuchara Mata, their patron goddess; Source: HomeGrown

The transgender community in India has faced a challenging journey. While ancient Indian texts make multiple references to transgender individuals, everything changed when the British came to power. They considered them ‘ungovernable’ and viewed them as a ‘threat to colonial political authority’. British officials stripped them of their identity and labelled them as a ‘criminal tribe’, aiming for the community's ‘extinction’.

Transgender individuals were prohibited from wearing female clothing or jewellery and faced fines or arrest if they failed to comply. Their long hair was forcibly cut, and they were humiliated if they dressed in women’s attire. Despite the hardships, it was common for transgender people to adopt children. However, in a shockingly sadistic act, the British authorities separated them from their children, claiming that the children were in ‘moral danger’. The transgender community needed someone to provide solace and serve as an object of worship. It was then that Bahuchara Mata became their patron goddess.

According to one of the many legends, Bahuchara hailed from a strong-willed community called Charans. In situations where they were in a bind with an enemy, instead of surrendering, they chose to end their own lives. One day, while Bahuchara and her sisters were travelling, they were attacked by a band of marauders led by a man called Bapiya. Without hesitation, they declared tragu, a form of self-immolation, and mutilated themselves by cutting off their breasts. They bled to death before their enemies, symbolically rejecting their femininity.

Shedding Charans’ blood was deemed a grave sin, bringing dire consequences to whoever caused it. Bapiya was cursed with impotence, and his curse was only lifted years later when he repented. Bahuchara Mata stipulated certain conditions for his repentance — he had to dress and behave like a woman and worship her for the rest of his days.

An artistic representation of Bahuchara Mata; Source: Sarmaya

Another popular legend says that Bahuchara was a princess who had a 'wayward' husband. Allegedly, he would dress like a woman every night. In another (arguably contentious) version of the tale, Bahuchara found him in the act of being intimate with another man, prompting her to curse him. She proclaimed that men like him should be emasculated to provide them with a better life and a better rebirth. She also promised protection for this community of men.

Most legends surrounding Bahuchara Mata involve a form of gender transformation, challenging heteronormative standards. These folktales depict the conflict between a transgender person’s physical body and their soul, as they search for their true identity. In several myths, Bahuchara Mata identified impotent men and demanded their service, threatening to curse their impotence for seven consecutive incarnations. As a result, her followers have since practised celibacy.

Bahuchara Mata’s representation as a Hindu deity is powerful and highly symbolic. She is often depicted with a sword in her right hand and scriptures in her left. Her bottom right hand assumes the abhaya hasta mudra, representative of her blessings upon her devotees, while the bottom left hand wields a trishula or trident. Adorned with heavy intricate jewellery, she wears a crown atop her head, and her nose ring and earrings are fashioned in the South Indian style.

Clad in a crimson saree, she is adorned with a long garland around her neck and is generally portrayed sitting amidst nature. Her vahana, or royal mount, is a rooster, symbolising her territorial nature, with its crowing representing a summon to rise every morning. The rooster is also associated with purity, spiritual awakening, and knowledge.

Becharaji or Bahucharaji temple in Gujarat; Source: Gujarat Tourism

Bahuchara Mata’s main temple is located in Becharaji (also called Bahucharaji) in Gujarat. Pilgrims flock to this sacred site to fulfil their vows and seek the fulfilment of their wishes. The goddess also serves as the patron for women facing domestic abuse and family problems.

Transgender individuals are revered and their blessings are considered fortunate for those who receive them, possibly owing to the power that Bahuchara Mata possesses and imparts to her devotees. The community is slowly achieving better integration into society and receiving more rights. It is truly inspiring to witness the community rise above various trials and tribulations, standing tall.