Emasculated Bodies of Hijras

The article examines through a historical lens, how the emasculated body of hijras takes on different and often contrasting meanings embodied in social roles, statuses and identities. It follows the trajectory of the historical space occupied by hijras since the beginning of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century and traces the roles and identities of hijras that have continuously been in a state of dynamism through their construction, reconstruction and reinvention in time and space. It is argued in the article that the corporeal act of emasculation performed on the body of hijras is a medium through which identities have been imposed, resisted and negotiated. From eunuch-slaves to cultural performers, religious ascetics and followers of Bahuchara Mata, the differentiated bodies of hijras have served as the single most important vehicle of their identity formation and their social interaction with society. What is essentially brought out then is the interplay of traditional and rational action through the retention of the ritualised practice of emasculation centred on the worship of the goddess Bahuchara, and the redefinition of traditional roles in response to changing social structures.