Thousands of men have dressed up as women to worship the Hindu goddess Bhagavathy during an annual temple festival in southern India.
The two-day festival "Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku", began on Sunday at Kottankullangara Devi Temple in the Kollam district of Kerala.
Cross-dressing is part of the traditional festivities, where men dress in women's clothing and attempt to please the temple goddess and have their wishes fulfilled.
This year, more than 6,000 men took part in the cross-dressing ritual.
Among them was Satish Kumar, who said: "All devotees come here to participate in the festival as our wishes get fulfilled.
"Lots of the devotees take part and the numbers are increasing every year because of the fruitful results."
According to legend,a group of boys would playfully dress up as girls and offer flowers and a coconut dish to a stone they considered as a goddess.
It is believed that one day the goddess appeared before one of the boys. Subsequently, a temple was built and the ritual of cross-dressing became a part of traditional ritual festivities.
The two-day festival "Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku", began on Sunday at Kottankullangara Devi Temple in the Kollam district of Kerala.
Cross-dressing is part of the traditional festivities, where men dress in women's clothing and attempt to please the temple goddess and have their wishes fulfilled.
This year, more than 6,000 men took part in the cross-dressing ritual.
Among them was Satish Kumar, who said: "All devotees come here to participate in the festival as our wishes get fulfilled.
"Lots of the devotees take part and the numbers are increasing every year because of the fruitful results."
According to legend,a group of boys would playfully dress up as girls and offer flowers and a coconut dish to a stone they considered as a goddess.
It is believed that one day the goddess appeared before one of the boys. Subsequently, a temple was built and the ritual of cross-dressing became a part of traditional ritual festivities.
Source: ITN
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