Hijras are viewed with ambivalence in Hindu society. They are often feared and shunned, but they are also considered to possess religious power through their devotion to the mother goddess Bahuchara Mata. Their devotion and special ritual status are thought to give them the ability to confer fertility in ritual contexts. Hijras are invited to perform music and dance at weddings and the birth of children, as they are thought to be able to either grant or take away the newlyweds’ or newborn’s potential fertility. They are often regarded as akin to celibate ascetics who wield religious power. Otherwise, they are socially marginalized in Hindu culture, and they often engage in marginal occupations or social roles, such as sex work and roadside begging.
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