The annual Koovagam festival has attracted transgender people from Singapore, Malaysia and all over India to Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, this May 2009.
The festival lasts 18 days and the focal point is the Koovagam temple where the presiding deity is Aravan, to whom the Aravanis get figuratively married.
At the opening, Radha, President of the Villupuram District Aravanis Welfare Association, and organiser N. Ramamurthy, told the press that for the fifth consecutive year the association, along with the Tamil Nadu AIDS Control Society, would run a beauty pageant for ‘aravanis’ – Miss Koovagam 2009.
The idea behind the competition was to increase self-esteem in the transgender community and encourage expression of knowledge, skills and talents in culture and the arts.
More than 2,000 transgender people took part in the competition and were tested on personality, HIV/AIDS knowledge, social concern and their services delivered to the community.
Miss Koovagam 2009 was won by Rekha from Madurai, second was Priya from Chennai, and third was Lalitha, also from Chennai.
More on the Koovagam festival.
More on the beauty contest with photo of top 3.
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do you know the dates for this festival in 2010?
ReplyDeleteplease let me know dates for 2010. i want to visit for the first time also please suggest me good accomadation over there.
ReplyDeleteHi for all Transgenders,
ReplyDeleteMy name is velou from Pondicherry which is 70Km form Koovagam and 32Km from Villupuram.
For Aravanni’s to stay villupuram is best,there is many hotels and lodges available,many aravanni’s are meet arravanni’s on the main market road near to old bus station.
every year MAYILE TOUR make a trip to discover the festival for tourists.
In pondicherry many french or foreigner are living so we arrange a trip on 27th April evening.
If you want make up man, Taxi service or hotels please contact us. My No: (0) 94 43 08 54 63
Email: mayiletour@gmail.com
Food will be provide by the Temple trust or many new hotels open at festival time only to eat in near to temple.
Route from Chennai: villupuram 4h travel and villupura to Koovagam 1:30h travel (38Km)
Route from Bangalore: take bus banglore to pondicherry,Get down Villupuram or
Take train get down villupuram Railway JN .
Note:In villupuram 2 bus stand(new bus stand, old bus stand)
New bus stand on the road of chennai to trichy Main road.There is no hotels so you should go city ,old bus stand is on the city were we find many Arravanni’s and Hotels.
From old bustand to New bus stand 2km only from Railway station to old Bus station 2km.
According the festival many buses arrange by Villupuram transport corporation
can any one suggest the name of hotel, where tg's can be accomodated for festival between 16th to 21 april 2011? i wld like to join this festival this time
ReplyDelete