South Asia’s Hijra Community.

When Lord Ram left Ayodhya for a 14-year exile, a crowd of his devotees followed. Noticing this, he said that all “men and women” of his kingdom should return home. When he returned, he found the Hijras, being neither men nor women, had not moved from their place. Moved by their devotion, he grants them a boon to confer blessings during auspicious occasions.