Koovagam is a southern village. Which is famous for Chittirai - Pournami festival, where thousands of devotees from as far away as New Delhi and Bombay pour into Koovagam to offer prayers to the presiding deity.
The vareity of this festival apart from hundreds of others is ,men dressed in saris, elaborate wigs, and bright plastic jewelry and act like woman. But this festival is mainly for Eunuch - third gender people who worship Aravan.
The origins of this festival can be traced to a Hindu tale in which Aravan, a man about to be sacrificed to the gods, asked to be married before dying. To fulfill this last wish, the god Krishna is said to have assumed the form of a beautiful woman and married Aravan.
Each April, on the night of the full moon, this ancient myth comes to life in Koovagam, where Aravan is still worshipped. Scores of make-shift stalls selling coconuts, flowers, and bangles spring up to cater to the nearly two thousand devotees from around the country who arrive on foot, or by train, truck, bus, or bullock cart.
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