3000 eunuchs gather for carnival in city of Taj

Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. For the people of Agra, who are accustomed to witnessing several religious processions passing through the city streets each year, it was a carnival with a difference.

On Saturday, the residents of Agra witnessed a sight they could not help admiring when more than three thousand Eunuchs, dressed in their best garb, both traditional and western casuals and expensive jewelry, participated in a "Hijra Carnival" that passed through the major streets of the old city enroute to "Mankameshwar", the historic temple of Lord Shiva located in the center of the town.

Dancing on the streets on traditional tunes and displaying their trademark mannerisms, the eunuchs, who prefer being called "Mangalamukhi" instead of "Hijras", participated in a time-honored ritual of offering a "Kalash" at the Shiva temple before formally beginning discussions on this year's agenda of the convention.

Against the usual, mundane image associated with the community, this carnival was teeming with young Eunuchs wearing elaborate make-up, toting the latest mobile phones and accessories, each in an attempt to display her "beauty" in front of their seniors, a distinction that could come handy during the "Eunuch beauty contest" that would be held later during the 21-day convention.

Beginning early in the day at around 11 am, the carnival passed through the entire old city in about three hours with a large contingent of police force cordoning off the busy streets of this part of the town through which the procession traveled.

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