E-Paper
Kaushalyanand Giri anointed head of newly-formed Sanatani Kinnar Akhara
he Pattabhishek (anointment) ceremony was conducted amid the chanting of sacred Vedic hymns by 51 scholars, in the presence of sadhus and members of the Kinnar (transgender) community.
In a formal religious ceremony on Tuesday, seers who recently split from the Kinnar Akhara formally appointed Kaushalyanand Giri, popularly known as Tina Maa, as the Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of the newly formed Sanatani Kinnar Akhara.
The Pattabhishek (anointment) ceremony was conducted amid the chanting of sacred Vedic hymns by 51 scholars, in the presence of sadhus and members of the Kinnar (transgender) community.
During the ceremony, fellow seers presented the new Acharya Mahamandaleshwar with a ceremonial canopy and robe, symbolising reverence and acceptance. The atmosphere reverberated with the beats of damrus and chants of “Jai Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Tina Maa!”
Following the anointment, Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Kaushalyanand Giri said the new Akhara’s foremost goal was to uphold and promote Sanatan Dharma (eternal Hindu tradition).
Born in 1986 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh), Kaushalyanand Giri’s father served in the Indian Army and was injured in the 1962 Indo-China War. Six months after her birth, she was brought to the Magh Mela in Prayagraj, where her parents, recognising her transgender identity, entrusted her to a spiritual guru. Since then, she has lived in Prayagraj and completed her graduation there.
Having joined the Kinnar Akhara in 2015, Tina Maa quickly rose through the ranks to become its UP in-charge and Mahamandaleshwar. She presently serves as a member of the UP Kinnar Welfare Board.
