Divine Drag Queens And Crossdressers

He is ready! Eyes are done, lips are painted, nail paint almost dry and the golden braids all set. Today is another big show. The crowd loves her. ( you readit a right.No grammatical error.)

A Google search on the word "drag"results into phrases like "a slang for crossdressers", "roast term for shemales "and a few more derogatory meanings. Moreover, thesaurus recognizes a dull or annoying thing, person or situation by the same word. These derogatory meanings of the now celebrated practice are evidence of the intolerance of the west for willful crossdressers.

She stepped in. All eyes fixed at her. There's a perpetual charm in the gentle sway of her waist, the bashful blink of her eyes and the youthful smile of her lips. Yet there was something more overpowering in her except her flawless face or curvaceous body. She carried the amrita pot and started serving the devas.

An artists interpretation of Mohini

You guessed it right I am talking about Vishnu's drag avatar Mohini who first appears after ambrosia or amrita pops out of the ocean of milk and deprives the Asura of their share of the same ambrosia.Why did I call her a drag avatar and not just an avatar?

Unlike Krishna and Rama, Mohini has no birth or death and appears in several unrelated tales whenever the circumstances demand.

It seems thatVishnu maintains two parallel entities the male identity (Vishnu ) and the drag character named Mohini. This trend is quite popular amongst drag artists who too have a male identity by birth and a self-named drag existence. It is for the same reason that I conclude that more than being an avatar it is a drag character.

Shiva and Mohini

Mohini once gain sneaks into Hindu mythology to kill Bhasmasura (one who can turn anybody to ash with a touch ). She tempts Bhasmasura to dance with her. Bhasmasura taps his own head as a dance posture taught by Mohini and turns into ashes.

The concept of Mohini further gets complicated when she bears Lord Shiva's child Ayappa. Yes, you read it right!

The portrayal of a deity that too someone from the Hindu Trinity as a drag queen suggests that drag culture was quite honored and revered in ancient India. Homophobia or transphobia are pretty new to this land of miracles. But Vishnu is not the only one to boast a drag image here. The one praised for masculinity, the most sought-after God, the ideal husband; Lord Shiva also cannot refrain from donning a drag image.

Even the Gods in heaven were too keen to participate in the cosmic dance or Raas Leela which use to place daily in Vrindavan, under the notes of Krishna's flute. Nevertheless, only women or girls can participate in Ras Leela except for Krishna. It is said that many Gods especially Lord Shiva after bathing in river Yamuna participated in Raas Leela as a woman.

While there's the possibility of exploring the different layers of these
mythical episodes beyond the practice of cross-dressing and connecting them to the infinite variety of sexuality, I would like to dedicate a different post for it. But the mythological and cultural references of Drag are so many in number that a single post cannot do justice to the subject.

So stay connected I will be coming up with a part 2 of this post.