Bahuchara Mata - The temple of Bahuchara Mata, another diety of eunuchs, is located in Varakhdiwala in Bechraji town, 35 km west of Mehsana in Gujarat. The original temple complex was built in 1783 AD. Every year, about 4 lakh pilgrims, a large number of whom are eunuchs, arvanis, kinnars etc. (Indigenous gender communities) visit this temple.
The followers of Bahuchara Mata believe that she is an incarnation of Mother Durga, the goddess of power and patroness of eunuchs. There is a story involving Bahuchara Mata and in the Indigenous gender community in India.
One belief is that Bahuchara Mata was a princess. She was married to a man who acted feminie. Every night, he would run into the woods and act like a woman, rather than have sex with his wife. Angry with his sexual abnormality, Bahuchara Mata castrated him and cursed him to become a eunuch.
Eunuchs consider Bahuchara Mata as their patroness and visit her temple to seek her blessings. They
believe that they may have been cursed with nonfunctional gender due to their sins. By seeking her
blessings, they hope that Mata will forgive them and bless them with a clear gender, either of a man or
woman in the next life.
