Origin from 2018
The Kinnar Akhara is a Hindu religious order established in 2018 by members of the hijra community, operating under the Juna Akhara (Shri Panchdashnam Juna Akhara). Its stated purpose is to bring recognition and respect to the hijra, also called kinnar, spiritual community and to promote discussion connecting Hinduism with transgender identity. Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a transgender activist, has served as its spokesperson, and the goddess Bahuchara Mata is recognized as the community's spiritual patron. The order first took part as an organized group at the 2016 Simhastha Mela in Ujjain and gained wider public attention at the 2019 Kumbh Mela, where members presented music, dance and painting alongside their bathing rituals, in the period following the September 2018 Supreme Court of India ruling that decriminalized consensual same sex activity.
Facts
Classification
Kind of order ApostolateContemplative or Monastic Prayer 2 Who may joinHijra or Third-Gender Members 1 Practice
Liturgical Language Status
Status TodayLiving tradition, practised today 3 Origins
Origin Period Belief
Defining Doctrinal PositionAdvaita Vedanta Non-Dualism 2 Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Member Of
Uses Liturgical Language
Sources
1. Wikidata: Kinnar Akhara
Wikidata Q64787108, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source 2. Islamic Mysticism: A Short History
Alexander Knysh, Brill
3. Wikipedia: Kinnar Akhara
WikipediaIntroduction, kind of orderQuote, Introduction, kind of order
Kinnar Akhara is an akhara (Hindu religious order) established in 2018 by the hijra community.
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