Hijra (South Asia)
Hijra, in South Asia particularly in India and Bangladesh, refers to a distinct community of male-to-female transgender individuals who are recognized as a third gender within their cultures. This community has deep historical roots, with references to hijra characters appearing in ancient texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, suggesting their presence in society for thousands of years. Traditionally, hijras often lived in isolated communities governed by their own social hierarchies and customs, which include speaking a unique language known as Hijra Farsi.
Historically, hijras were respected figures, especially during the Mughal Empire, where eunuchs held significant positions due to their perceived trustworthiness. However, their status deteriorated during British colonial rule, leading to social marginalization and criminalization under laws such as Section 377. Despite legal reforms in recent years, including the recognition of hijras as a third gender in 2014, social stigma persists. Many hijras today engage in performance arts, blessings at ceremonies, or panhandling, while some may also participate in sex work. The community is structured around descent houses led by Nayaks, where gurus guide their disciples, fostering strong familial bonds among members.
Hijra (South Asia)
Hijra is a term used in India and other parts of South Asia to describe male-to-female transgender individuals. Within Indian culture, hijras are considered a third gender that is neither male nor female. They inhabit a distinct social class that is largely separate from the rest of Indian society. Most hijras live in isolated communities with their own internal social hierarchies and customs. Many speak a centuries-old language called Hijra Farsi that few outsiders can understand. The use of this language reflects the hijra community's long-running historic roots. Although the hijra community arguably reached its height during the fifteenth-century heyday of India's Mughal Empire, the appearance of hijra characters in ancient epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata suggests that such individuals have been a part of Indian culture for thousands of years. In modern India, most hijras make a living as performers or panhandlers. Some find employment as sex workers.
Background
The historical roots of the hijra community are shrouded in a certain degree of mystery. No one is certain when exactly the community got its start, but evidence suggests that hijras have been a part of South Asian culture since antiquity. Most notably, a number of hijra characters can be found in influential ancient epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Beyond that, early hijra history is largely a matter of speculation and legend. According to traditional folklore, the hijra community was founded by a royal eunuch named Mai Nandi. Eunuchs were men who underwent castration so they could be trusted to protect the women who lived in royal harems and serve as chamberlains to kings. The belief in Mai Nandi as the founder of the hijra community corresponds with the widely held theory that the first hijras were the eunuchs of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Empire was a powerful Muslim dynasty that ruled the Indian subcontinent from about 1526 to 1858. During the Mughal era, eunuchs were trusted to hold many important positions within royal courts because it was thought that their freedom from sexual desire made them uniquely qualified for jobs requiring great responsibility. As a result, eunuchs were respected members of society who wielded power and influence.
The eunuchs' fortunes changed considerably during the British colonial era. When the British Raj assumed control of India in the latter half of the nineteenth century, government officials took aim at eunuchs and the broader hijra community. Specifically, the Raj government implemented a new penal code in 1860. Included in the new India Penal Code was a provision known as Section 377 that prohibited "unnatural" sexual activities. In effect, Section 377 transformed the hijra community into a criminal caste and led hijras themselves to become ostracized from mainstream society. To survive, hijras began forming separate communities and systems of social organization. After a 2009 attempt at decriminalizing Section 377 in regard to sexual relations between consenting adults was overturned a few years later, the Supreme Court of India in 2014 formally classified hijras and other transgender people as a "third gender" entitled to the same rights and freedoms as those belonging to other genders. In 2018, India also decriminalized same-sex relationships and increased the rights of transgender individuals, although social stigmas surrounding hijras remained.
Overview
Hijras are part of a distinct social class found in India and other parts of South Asia. In most cases, hijras are male-to-female transgender individuals who identify as women and wear women's clothing. Many hijras choose to undergo gender reassignment surgery, though such drastic measures are not necessarily required for inclusion in the hijra community. Those hijras who do seek surgical reassignment often believe that removal of the male sex organs will bring them into communion with Bahuchara Mata or some other Hindu goddess and endow them with the supernatural powers associated with the deity in question. For some hijras, these powers offer a unique way to earn a living. Many faithful people in mainstream Indian society believe in the hjiras' allegedly divine powers and are often willing to pay for blessings and the performance of various religious rituals. Such performances often take place at important life events such as weddings and childbirths. Because there is still a strong social stigma associated with the hijra community, however, some hijras in modern India are forced to rely on panhandling or prostitution for a living.
The hijra community is organized according to a unique social structure that is divided into seven different houses. These houses function as symbolic descent groups through which each member can trace their lineage. Each house is composed of numerous households, in which individual hijras live and share responsibilities like a traditional family. Each descent house is overseen by a leader called a Nayak and is home to both spiritual leaders called gurus and disciples called celas. The broader hijra community is governed by a council of Nayaks known as the Jamat. The members of the Jamat meet as necessary to discuss important issues and make policy decisions. New hijras—typically young boys who flee from or are rejected by their biological families because of their gender identity—are initiated into a house by gurus. Gurus and celas share a relationship similar to that shared between a parent and child. Gurus take responsibility for their celas, while celas are expected to be obedient and loyal to their gurus. As a result of the relationships formed between gurus and celas, hijra households often feature complex kinship webs in which various members of the household think of and address each other as if they are actual familial relatives. Some hijras even choose to get married to cisgender men.
As part of their effort to preserve their communities and traditions, most hijras speak a special language called Hijra Farsi. A learned tongue that is taught to new hijras as they are welcomed to the community, Hijra Farsi is virtually unknown amongst non-hijras. In fact, hijras are often intentionally dishonest about specific word meanings when asked to maintain the secrecy surrounding Hijra Farsi. Experts believe that Hijra Farsi has a vocabulary of about ten thousand words, some of which are borrowed from other South Asian languages. Gurus are typically responsible for helping new hijras learn the language.
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