When Genders Break Traditions: The Kinnar and the Pari Akhāṛā

Presenter:

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Abstract

Traditionally there are 13 akhāṛās which collect nāgā sādhus belonging to traditional orders. Akhāṛās function as administrative bodies that take under control the ascetic world. In the last years the traditional number of akhāṛās has been challenged by women and Kinnars (Hijṛās). In the 2013 Prayag Kumbh Melā, Sādhvī Trikal Bhavanta organized a separate akhāṛā for women, the Pari Akhāṛā, established in order to allow women to play a role in religion but also to encourage them to take the path of religion in a safer context of only women. However, in 2014 Nashik Kumbh, it was allotted a small plot, and in 2016 Ujjain Kumbh Melā, it seemed to have been completely side-lined. A completely different result was obtained by the Kinnar Akhāṛā, founded by Lakshmi Narayan Tripati during the 2014 Ujjain Simhastha, the same year in which the third gender was officially recognized by the Supreme Court. This akhāṛā unifies various community of Hijṛās from all over India in order to restore the religious dignity of the transgender community. Given the huge support that the akhāṛā received in the 2019 Ardh Kumbh Melā, it was officially recognized by the Jūnā Akhāṛā, and included among its supported orders, which lead to a historical change in the schedule of the main bath processions. Based on exclusive ethnographic data this paper is going to analyse in detail the officialization of the Kinnar Akhāṛā. Likewise, it will inquire about the Pari Akhāṛā analysing the reason for its decline. These case studies will lead to general considerations about the new challenges placed by genders, also inquiring whether these challenges can actually lead to changes in the Hindu orthodoxy.