pre-modern india

Vedic culture is thought to have recognized the legitimate status of trans people in India as being natural and normal, and a functioning part of society. The Vedas describe each individual as belonging to one of three separate gender categories, according to one’s own nature or prakrti. They recognized a difference between one’s biological sex and gender identity. The Vedas also talk about the connection of astronomy to sexuality and gender, where each of the planets are assigned a gender: male, female or neutral.

Trans people are also mentioned in the Kama Sutra and other adjacent literature as pumsprakrtistri-prakrti (female-nature), and tritiya-prakrti (third-nature). These texts suggest that trans individuals were well known during this time period, and included biologically male, female and intersex people, and that a disparity between their biological sex and gender identity was often recognized in their childhood.

The Agam Sutra, the principal religious text of the Jain religion is an important step forward because it mentions, in writing, the concept of the “psychological sex”, what we call gender today, and that it is entirely separate and distinct from the biological sex of a person.

The earliest guide concerning correct grammar and sentence construction in the Tamil language of Tamil Nadu, the Tolkappiyam, states that the three grammatical genders in Tamil are derived from the natural genders existing in the real world: men, women and intersex or trans people. It also says that un-masculine or effeminate men whose mental gender differs from their physical sex must be referred to with feminine pronouns.

The Mahabharata contains one of the most important tales regarding trans people in ancient India. Aravan, the son of Arjuna and Nagakanya offered to be sacrificed to the goddess Kali to ensure the victory of the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra war. His only condition was that he wanted to spend the last night of his life in marriage. Since no woman was willing to marry someone who was doomed to be killed the very next day, since this was back when women weren’t allowed to re-marry. Therefore, Krishna assumed the form of a beautiful trans woman called Mohini and married him. The trans community of Tamil Nadu are considered to be descended from Aravan and thus call themselves Aravanis.

Similar to the Mahabharata, the Ramayana contains another important tale from Hindu myth that imparted a certain level of respect to the trans community in India. After Rama is banished from the kingdom of Kosala for 14 years by his step-mother Kaikeyi, he heads to the Dandaka forest for this vanvas or to live an ascetic life. He turns to see all his believers following behind him. He pleads with all the men and women to return to the capital city of Ayodhya. The only community left behind is the Hijra community, who did not feel bound by his directions since they considered themselves neither men nor women. Impressed with their loyalty, Rama bestowed them with the power to offer divine blessings upon others at auspicious occasions like weddings and the birth of a child.

Accomplished scholar and linguist Patanjali’s comprehensive work on deconstructing the grammar and linguistic intricacies of the Sanskrit language, the Maha Bhashya attempts to draw a connection between the three grammatical genders, male, female and neutral, assigned to all things and the three existing genders in the real world, broadly classified as male, female and trans. Here, the third gender is once again accepted being normal and naturally occurring.

The foundational work of Hindu law, the Manu Smriti attempts to explain the natural existence of trans people in the world. It states that a male child is produced by the prevalence of the male gamete over the female, and a female child is produced when the female gamete overpowers the male gamete, and most importantly, that an intersex child is produced when the two gametes are exactly equal in prevalence. It also mentions that if either gamete is unable to cross a basic threshold, conception fails.