Indian History & Queerness | ਭਾਰਤੀ ਇਤਿਹਾਸ ਅਤੇ ਕੁਵੀਰਤਾ

A Past Beyond Labels

Before the words gay, transgender, or queer ever existed, ancient India already understood gender and sexuality in diverse, fluid ways.
For thousands of years, Indian philosophy, literature, and art reflected the belief that love and identity are many-shaded expressions of the same divine truth.

Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions all contain examples of gender transformation, same-sex relationships, and people existing beyond the male-female binary — long before Western notions of gender and sexuality emerged.

Fluidity in Hindu Mythology

Indian mythology overflows with stories that blur gender boundaries and celebrate transformation. In the Mahabharata, Shikhandi, born female and later identifying and living as male, plays a crucial role in the war of Kurukshetra — a reminder that valor and identity transcend gender. The Ramayana contains tales of Aravanis (Hijras) — devotees of Lord Aravan who married him before his ritual death, symbolizing gender and spiritual devotion beyond the binary.

Perhaps most famous is the story of Lord Vishnu transforming into Mohini, the enchanting female form who mesmerizes gods and demons alike. In one episode, Mohini unites with Lord Shiva, and from their union emerges Lord Ayyappa — a divine being born of two male deities. These stories, rich with symbolism, reveal how ancient India saw gender transformation not as anomaly, but as sacred expression.

Gender Beyond the Binary

Ancient Indian texts recognized more than two genders. The Kama Sutra, often reduced in popular imagination to eroticism, actually describes a spectrum of sexual and gender identities — including “tritiya prakriti,” meaning third nature. This term encompassed people we might today describe as intersex, transgender, or non-binary. Far from being marginalized, many were accepted as part of the social and spiritual order.

In royal courts and temple communities, Hijras and other gender-diverse people held respected positions — as dancers, poets, advisors, and spiritual guides. Their blessings were considered auspicious, and their presence symbolized the divine balance of masculine and feminine energies — Ardhanarishvara, the half-Shiva, half-Parvati form, embodying cosmic harmony.

Colonialism and the Erasure of Acceptance

The erosion of queer acceptance in India did not come from its ancient roots, but from British colonial rule.

In 1861, the British introduced Section 377, a law criminalizing same-sex relations — not because Indian tradition condemned them, but because Victorian morality demanded conformity. Over time, that colonial mindset reshaped Indian attitudes, replacing centuries of cultural pluralism with imported ideas of “normality” and “shame.”

Understanding queer history, then, is not just about representation — it’s about reclaiming what colonialism erased: a worldview where love was divine, gender was fluid, and difference was natural.

Reclaiming the Legacy

Today, as India re-embraces queer rights and visibility, it’s worth remembering that this is not a new movement — it’s a return.
Ancient India’s stories remind us that queerness is not foreign to our culture; it is woven into the same spiritual fabric that celebrates diversity, balance, and unity.

By rediscovering this heritage, we do more than honour history — we restore dignity to generations whose identities were once sacred, then silenced, and are now rising again to be seen, heard, and celebrated.

Queerness in ancient India was never about rebellion —
it was about harmony, wholeness, and the celebration of all forms of love.