On the 10th and 11th of the Malayalam month of Meenam (mid-March to mid-April), thousands of men dressed as women throng the Kottankulangara Sri Bhagavathy Temple in Kollam for its annual festival, Chamayavilakku. As per tradition, during the two-day celebration, men line up from the temple gate for the ceremonialEzhunnallathu(procession) around 2 a.m., holding lamps with five wicks to seek the blessings of the presiding deity, goddess Durga.
This gender-bending festival is a flamboyant display of sartorial creativity. Men deck up in women’s clothes, complete with jewellery and accessories. Every year, several studios and green rooms mushroom near the temple to help male devotees transform into women.
On both days of the festival, the same rituals are followed. This tradition goes back to the temple’s legend, according to which when some cowherds attempted to smash a coconut with a stone and it began to bleed. Astrologers discovered that the stone held Vanadurga’s divine force, and they instructed the local people to erect a shrine around it. At the time, girls performed pujas in the temple. The cowherds therefore dressed as girls to perform the temple’s initial pujas. Boys below the age of 10 also dress up as girls for Kakkavilakku, a part of the Chamayavilakku festival, but held during the day.
Over the years, Chamayavilakku has acquired a special significance for the transgender community in Kerala, which attends the festival in large numbers.
