India, the land of customs, traditions and values is also the land of superstitions, stereotypes and homophobia. Despite the Supreme court legalizing LGBTQ marriages, many eyebrows are raised at the sight of same-sex couples and even more when their gay children come out of the closet.
This is rather ironic as the land which considers homosexuality as a sin is the same land that used to celebrate and even worship it thousands of years ago!
Indians have always formed a taboo around sex, which is yet another irony because it is the very land that gave birth to the Kamasutra, the land where sex was considered a divine phenomenon.
Revisiting the holy scriptures would make it evident how our ancestors were far more progressive and open when it came to the portrayal of sex, homosexuality and gender fluidity. What is seen today as a modern revolution was held natural in ancient India.
Also Read: Watch: Facts About Ancient India That Will Prove That It Was More Modern Then, Than It Is Now
Hindu mythology, through evolved heroes and instances, has time and again displayed and even glorified elements of gender variance and non-heterosexual sexuality. When we see it in the context of current public opinion against homosexuality, based on colonial laws, it shows that it resisted sexual norms and the commonly perceived gender binary.
Changes in sex, homoerotic encounters, and intersex or third gender figures are frequently seen in epics, Puranas, and regional folklore, but more discreetly than directly.
While the male-female reproductive bond has always been respected, homosexuality and LGBT themes have been documented in ancient literature, folk stories, art, and performance art. Essentially, because gender is frequently viewed as an idea or a conviction whose scope can be observed in the varied characters, each remarkable and unusual.
Another aspect defied in Hinduism is the glorification of machoism. This is evident when heroes held as the ultimate embodiment of masculinity and heroism have also undergone transformation and upheld their feminine forms.
The video below explores 8 instances of gender fluidity and homosexuality in Hindu mythology that you might have not been aware of.
So, the next time you come across any homophobic uncle or aunt shaming your sexuality in the name of Indian values just show them this video!
Sources: Indian Express, Mumbai Mirror +more
Image Source: Google Images
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This post is tagged under Hindu, Hinduism, hindu mythology, homosexuality, gender fluidity, LGBTQ+, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shivpuran, Ardhanarishvara, Mohini, Shikhandini, Brihannala, Budh, Ila, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Indra, Chandra, Surya, Riskha, Sugreev, Bali
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