Journal of Historical Studies

Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

Beyond Gender Binaries: Understanding the Marginalized

Eunuch Community in Lahore
Dr Huma Pervaiz
Assistant Professor,
Institute of History ,
GC University Kala Shah Kaku Campus.

Ali Aman
Visiting Faculty,
Gift University Gujranwala Campus.

Abstract:
This article explores the socioeconomic fabric and its influence
on the marginality of the Eunuch community of Lahore.
Marginalization of Eunuchs is not a new phenomenon; it is as
old as the Eunuchs. Eunuchs are marginalized today; however,
their history is rich with many references to their existence
available as influential beings in the past. Perception of
Eunuchs changed over time and re-defined their role in society.
In Pakistan, the identity of Eunuchs has been institutionalized
and manifested in a particular living style which is neither male
nor female. As a result, they have become socially ostracized,
and they also have become the most despised group of people
that are flung to the outer fringes of society. For their survival,
they are forced to retreat into the eunuch community. Just as
the whole society is being altered by the forces of globalization,
so too, the culture of Eunuch is subjected to erosion by the
forces of media and new cultural trends. These forces compel
them to look for other means of earning such as begging and
prostitution hence they are becoming more and more
marginalized.
Keywords: Marginalization, Community, Culture, Begging,
Eunuch, Lahore
Introduction:
The Eunuchs, commonly labelled as the ‘others ‘in our society
inhabit almost all parts of the country, and their quite
reasonable population can easily be seen in large cities such as
Lahore and Rawalpindi. Lahore is a magnificent epicentre of

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rich cultural traditions which is creating space for people of

diverse cultures and assimilating them into its very pluralistic
social life. It is a multicultural center where the traces of
dissimilar identities from many epochs such as Mughals, Sikhs
and British are present and the Eunuch culture is one of them,
which retains much of its distinctiveness today.
Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan. Eunuchs have a
great attraction for the big cities to avail opportunities leading
to a better lifestyle. All of them living in Lahore city are not
residents. The living condition of Eunuchs in Lahore is not very
enviable but it is comparatively better than other cities in
Pakistan. Eunuchs are facing discrimination in different parts of
the country, however, for the last few years; some attempts
such as the survey of the Eunuchs population and issuance of
National Identity cards, are being made to give them rights in
the name of transgender rights.1
Their position in Pakistani society is precarious to the extent
that often they are deprived of the status of being a human. The
sense of deprivation compels them to retreat into the folds of
their community which enables them to pull through with their
marginalized status. People stare and jeer at them as they are
generally treated as social freaks. They are the people with no
land. A Eunuch Laila, during an interview, asked in a visibly
pungent tone, “Why do people laugh at us? Why it is shameful
to be a Eunuch? God created us with a female soul in a male
body.”2 That is not the only question about Eunuchs worth
reflecting. Countless queries can be framed regarding their
status in Pakistani society.
Eunuchs of Lahore draw some consolation from their splendid
past as they consider themselves the descendant of the Khawaja
Saras of the Mughal courts.3Owing to this fact, most Eunuchs
prefer the term Khawaja Sara. Hijra is also a term that is more
frequently used for Eunuchs in the subcontinent. The word
‘Hijra’ was used differently at different times. According to
anthropologist Kira Hall4, its origin was Khoja which is a
distorted form of Khawaja. This word was deployed for court
Eunuchs only and used for hermaphrodites, not for artificially
(castrated) Hijras. In early 1880 the respectable term Khoja lost

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

its popularity among Hindi-speaking people and Hijra was used

both for castrated as well as natural Eunuchs.5
Serena Nanda (an Indian anthropologist) writes that Hijra is an
Urdu word used for natural as well as for castrated Hijra but
impotency is central to the definition of Hijra.6 The term Hijra
has become quite current now a day. It refers to all kinds of
Eunuchs.7 Hijra is also a peculiar attitude and behaviour when
a person tends to behave like a woman, he is derisively called
Hijra but in a true sense Hijra is a combination of masculine
and feminine traits, or maybe it is missing /lost of both. In the
famous Urdu Encyclopedia Farhang-e-Asfiya, it is mentioned
that etymologically Hijra is derived from the Urdu word
‘Sahib-e-Khana’ which is used for those who belong to a
family, particularly the impotent one often employed in the
home of elites, ministers and sultans.8
Most Eunuchs whose references are found in history were
castrated. Quite often, they were needed to protect the harems
and ladies Eunuchs took charge because they were mostly
unable to have relations with women of harems as they had
been physically powerful and sexually impotent. The Eunuchs
were considered less man and they were unable to procreate
offspring that’s why they were less harmful to the state because
they did not try to get more power for the throne and were less
interested in establishing a competitive dynasty. Their only
purpose was to gain the loyalties of the king and keep them in
power.
The practice of castration was also related to religious
ceremonies. The voluntary practice of castration for religious
celibacy appeared early in Christian history (prevailed in the
3rd century) and most people were castrated to make them the
Eunuchs for the kingdom's sake.9 Castration was also done to
propitiate the God and Goddesses. A sacrificial rite of
castration among human beings somehow reveals the
connection between the divine and human.
For the Eunuchs the ritual of castration has great significance
because it changes their entire world and inserted them into the
world of the marginalized. Castration is a sign of respectability
which is called Nirban or Nirvana Eunuchs translates the

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Nirvan as rebirth.10 It is done through the operation which may

cease their life but they do it to achieve a sacred power. Nirban
holds a superior status among the Eunuchs, and it is not
considered a precondition of being a part of the community
because many of them are not castrated and they are allowed to
live with them. In both cases, the “desire of being women” is
very prominent and castration is the only way through which
they can get rid of their maleness. Some of them are of the view
that after castration we can become Hijra in the true sense of
the term neither man nor woman, but only Hijra. Castration
may be the climax of their unsatisfied desire and as admitted by
many that we find our true selves after castration, and it is
considered as the time of the completion of every Hijra who
feels unsatisfied and incomplete with the male body and has a
“female soul.”11
Historical Gaze on Eunuchs in Medieval India:
The process of marginality regarding Eunuchs was set with the
advent of the British Empire in India. Before it, many of them
held positions of influence during the Sultanaid and Mughal
Periods such as riders, administrators, and guards of the royal
harems. It was a practice among Muslim rulers of India
(Sultans and Mughals) they kept slaves in their harems and
most of them were Eunuchs. Senior Eunuchs were known as
Nazirs or Khawaja Sara and there were many junior Eunuchs
under their charge.12 Muslim rulers initiated the import of
castrated Eunuchs from Byzantium, Nubia, Ethiopia, Eastern
Europe, and Greece.13 Some Eunuchs gained the highest ranks.
One of them was Kafor Hazardinari, the army commander of
Alauddin Khalji(1296-1316) who was known as Malik Kafur.
He was sent four times to conquer Deccan (1306-1312). He
defeated Raja of Devar and he also arrested Raja Ram Dev and
he made the annexation of Gujrat in 1297.14
Khusrau Khan, a Eunuch, was the favourite catamite of
Mubarak Khalji(1316-1320) who gained popularity during his
reign. In 1318, he led an expedition towards the southern part
of India to the extent of the power of his ruler. Khawaja Jahan
Malik Sarwar, a black Eunuch who was appointed wazir during
the reign of Sultan Mahmud(1398-1394), a successor of sultan

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

Feroz Tugluq, was awarded the title of Malik-us-Sharq and

became the governor of Jaunpur in 1394. 15
Some Eunuchs were awarded the title of Itbar Khan (trusted
lord), in the region of great Mughals. The famous Eunuch Itbar
Khan was the slave of Zahir ud Din Babar in 1525. He also
served Akbar’s mother and other begums during the second
year of Akbar’s reign and later Akbar appointed him governor
of Delhi in 1558.16 During the reign of Jahangir (1605-1627)
Eunuch Feroz Khan was granted Mansab of
17
1500/600. Aurangazeb had a famous Eunuch Bakhtawar Khan
who achieved the highest rank of a great scholar and historian.
He wrote the abstracts of Tarikh-i- Alfi and Akhbar-ul-
Akhyar.18 In the reign of the last Mughal King Bahadur Shah
Zafar the Eunuch Mahbub Ali Khan gained fame for being very
wise and became a reliable adviser to Queen Zenat Begum.19
It is mentioned in Tuzki-i- Jahangri by Emperor Jahangir
(1556-1605) that the custom of castration was common in
Bengal, especially in Selhat the people castrated their male
children and gave them to the governor in place of revenue that
they could not pay. Other provinces began to adopt the same
custom to the extent that Emperor Jahangir had to impose strict
penalties on people who followed this cruel custom. He also
prohibited the trade of young Eunuchs.20 The Eunuch remained
a profitable commodity in the slave trade, as their price was
three times higher than an ordinary slave that’s why Bengal
provided Eunuchs for the ashraf of Delhi. The rulers of other
states also sometimes presented them as a gift to the ruling
elite. In the reign of Aurangzeb, the Ethiopian king sent twenty-
five slaves, of which “nine or ten of whom were of tender age
in a state to be made Eunuch.”21 Eunuchs were given the names
of precarious stones and spices like Almas (diamond), Yaqut
(carnelian), Firuzeh (turquoise) by their masters.22
Slavery and emasculation made them loyal to their rulers
however their orphanhood made them cruel in some respect.
The Italian Physician Niccolo Manucci narrated an incident
during the region of Aurangzeb in the mid-1600s, the incident
was about one of the trusted eunuchs Itbar Khan when two
people from Bengal claimed to be his parents and later on when

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it was proved he betrayed anger against them by saying that

‘how have ye the great temerity to come into my presence after
you have consumed the price of my body, and having been the
cause by emasculating me of depriving me of the greatest
pleasures attainable in this world’.23
Lucknow became the center of Muslim culture when the
Mughal Empire became to disintegrate in the eighteenth
century. In 1765 Nawab Shuja- ud- Daula, son of Nawab
Safdar Jang, made the town Faizabad his headquarters where he
organized the army and built splendid mosques and parks.
Interestingly, a large part of his army was trained by Khawaja
Saras. Fourteen thousand soldiers who wore the red uniform
were in the command of Khawaja Sara Basant Ali Khan (year).
Khawaja Sara Amber Ali Khan was the commander of five
hundred cavalries and an infantry battalion. Khawaja Sara
Mahbub Ali Khan and Latif Ali Khan (any detail) also served
in the Nawab, s army with small numbers of troops.24 A most
important event that took place in the reign of Nizam (1724-
1748) was when an attractive Eunuch ‘Rehman’ became the
bone of contention among Nizam’s sons.25
The account of Mrs Meer Hassan Ali,26 on the life of the Syed
families of Lucknow in the early nineteenth century, portrays a
vivid picture of the culture of the nobles of Lucknow.
According to her, a famous Eunuch Al Mausa Ali Khan
achieved great honour in the house of Oudh. She described the
Eunuchs as the guard of royal ladies, especially with reference
to Padsha Begum (the widow of Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, king of
Oudh). When she came out to visit the Durgah of Huzerut Abas
Ali Kee, she was accompanied by many Eunuchs. Some of
them were distributing money among people and the chief of
these eunuchs was dressed” in gold cloth brilliant turban and
attired in expensive shalwar.”27
Colonialism and Eunuchs Marginality:
The status of Eunuchs spiralled down with the advent of the
British occupation of India. The past Muslim rulers of Indian
states were generous patrons of Eunuchs but the accession of
princely states reduced them to utter destitution so they were
left with no other option but to sing and dance at festivities, to

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

keep their bodies and soul together. During the colonial era,
many wrong myths and stereotypes were constructed about the
Eunuch’s commune. In the early nineteenth century, the British
district officers, who were trying to put an end to many
immoral aspects of Indian culture recorded some activities of
Hijras which according to them were a heinous crime.28
British had the view that vulgarity was attached to them
especially their techniques of acquiring money. Therefore, they
objected to the idea of colonial morality. The colonial
administrator tried to degrade the existing traditions and norms
to create their superiority to encourage the social distance
between colonized and the colonizer. Many traditions which
were tolerated and even encouraged in pre-colonial India were
discouraged during the colonial era and disrupted many
institutions at the beginning of the nineteenth century. British
did not support the dancers and entertainers hence eunuchs lost
traditional support and patronage when the British policies
eroded the native elite and affected the harem life.29 The British
felt uneasy about such types of people with ambiguous
identities and tried to obliterate their very existence. In this
respect, Campuzano argues that development and colonialism
suppressed possibilities to identify outside the male and female
categories.30
The British imposed many restrictions and introduced laws in
which they were considered sodomites and people who were
engaged in homosexual offences. The Act which relegates
them, is article 377, in which carnal intercourse was
criminalized and was considered against the order of nature. 31
The Eunuchs were suspected that they kidnapped the children
and forced them to join their commune. It became a permanent
perception about their community and this stereotype about
eunuchs created hatred for them. British also introduced the
Law in 1897 which was the amendment to the Criminal Tribes
Act of 1871,” An Act for the registration of the criminal’s
tribes and Eunuchs”.32The Local administration was instructed
to register the names of the eunuchs who were accused of
kidnapping and castrating the children. British also objected to
the eunuchs’ way of accruing money. Lawrence W. Preston, in
his account of the role of the British in the repression of Hijras

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mentioned that the Hijras used indecent ways for extortion of

money by even showing their genitals.33 Prior to the British era,
the state used to lend them support and they had the right to get
food and money from landlords of their area. The British
government not only tried to abolish the official support of
Eunuchs but also noticed that they induced many immoral
aspects to the Indian culture. A series of letters between British
district officers during the early nineteenth century noted that,
‘Hijras proceed to different villages and demand payments
from Ryots, who, forthwith, produce the price, under the dread
founded, Apparently of experience, of a refusal to render
promote payment, being followed by the whole of the wretches
lifting their soogras (petticoat) and outraging the feelings of the
females of his family, by the most shameless and abominable
exposure of the person.’34
Moreover, Eunuchs could not find a niche in the governmental
sector as the British shut their doors on them. Some Eunuchs
used to dance before the coming of the British, but they had
many other avenues open for them as well. Later, the only
occupational choice for the Eunuch was to dance and prostitute.
Even after the partition of the Indian subcontinent Eunuchs
remained engaged in dancing and singing to earn their
livelihood both in India and Pakistan. However, in the later few
years with the onset of the modern means of celebration, for
instance the introduction of television, cinema, cable and
internet etc, their profession also fell out of vogue. Besides,
family planning may also be quoted as yet another anomaly for
them as people have deliberately reduced producing children,
an occasion to celebrate, which has adversely affected their
means of income. Thus, begging and (for some) sex work
remain the only occupational choices.
Eunuchs of Lahore and their Cultural Patterns
Eunuchs live in the narrow confines of their community and
have their sub-culture with specific norms including their
language, rituals of castration, traditional occupations,
meticulous style of clapping, Guru Chella relation, singing and
dancing. Their culture provides them with a space for their
existence with the specific traditional role but outside this role,

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

they are not considered part of society. Hijra as a cultural entity

is considered someone who violates the accepted social and
cultural norms. The very essence of the Eunuchs community is
their economic system which binds them to society, which
fetches no income other than badhai or alms and begging. It is
the system that not only makes them different in identity within
the prevalent social structure but it also provides them with
space though at the margin, through which they are (with their
different identity) assimilated with the prevalent social norms.
Any individual who joins the Hijra community subsequently
becomes part of its peculiar culture and Eunuchs derived their
identity of being neither from that culture. Traditional eunuchs
are very strict in following these customs because they consider
themselves very essential for their survival and they can also
get support from each other through their sub-culture. Every
Eunuch must follow these norms and rituals in their letter and
spirit; otherwise, they are excommunicated from the commune.
During an interview, a eunuch Chandi laid more stress on the
importance of their culture and said “We, the ignorant people,
are part of the culture of Pakistan. No one can deny the fact
unless our culture is alive. We, the Hijra commune, shall live
because our culture has been integrated into this region for
centuries.” 35It is very difficult to trace the origin of their
culture which is, no doubt, the fusion of the two cultural
identities of India such as Hindus and Muslims. In Hindu
culture, there is relatively more acceptance for such types of
people as compared to other religions. Traditional Hinduism
recognized them as powerful creatures that accord acceptance
to human beings and considered the third creature with a
particular cultural identity. Eunuchs’ culture has a lot of
similarities with the Hindus (eunuchs) and they are tangibly
influenced by the Hindus.36” Hinduism has been considered as
demographically and culturally dominating religion of India.
Many rituals, which the Eunuchs of Pakistan and even Lahore
follow, are Hindu in their essences and derived from Indian
society (Dancing on the auspicious occasion, blessing the
people, power of fertility and castration rituals). 37
The most interesting thing about the culture of Eunuchs is their
language, which is used within the community and is different

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from the language of the society. It is called ‘Chandarna’.38 It

consists of Persian, Sanskrit and Punjabi words, which have
specific connotations. It does not mean that the Hijra
community is incognizant of the language used in society. They
use Chandara to keep their secrets from others. One Guru told
that “It is very important for every Hijra to learn the language
of the commune because, on many occasions, it becomes an
obligation on the part of every Hijra to talk separately and keep
the audience and the customer nescient about their
communication.”39 The other thing which makes their language
incomprehensible is that they want to hide their intention. To
ensure that the real meanings are accessible only to themselves,
therefore, they utter the typical words so cleverly. Some words
which are used by the Hijras include; Murat which means
Khusra/Hijra. Belli Murat(it is used for ugly Eunuch), Girya
(this is spoken for the lover/husband of Eunuch), Guru ( mother
or teacher of a Hijra they often used the word Maa for her),
Chella (student of a Guru), Chamak ( to dance) and Roti (this
word is used to have sexual relation).40 They use a particular
kind of vocabulary to communicate about physical
relationships such as Tarahna or Rara kar na ( to attract
towards sex) Shampoo karwa ( to do the sexual act).41
The language of Hijra is a major tool to keep them silent in
society because it is even strange for many people that the
Hijras have their language. They own their language and
customs because they are socially marginalized in society, they,
therefore, do not consider it an obligation to follow the
accepted norms and customs in society.42 The Hijra dialect is
very outlandish which makes them different from other people
and recognizes them by their effeminate gestures. Through his
language and customs, the Hijra rebels against cultural
ideologies of gendered language, assuming a linguistic position
that is neither fully feminine nor fully masculine.” 43
Hijras are not only notorious for their vulgar language they are
also known for their unspoken gestures. Hijras are very
expressive through the movement of their eyes and their way of
talking is always very communicative in the sense of
expressing through signs. They have the ability and technique
to tell each other through their motions. In addition to that, their

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

language is so much symbolic.44 However to earn their

livelihood and for their survival, they divide the entire city into
different regions that are associated with the names of their
respective Gurus45 within the commune. Eunuchs are part of
the people residing in Lahore. There are some areas which are
well known for the Eunuchs population such as Heera Mandi,
Samnabad, Mozang, Shah Noor Studio, and Shahdara.
Shahdhara is well known for the numerous population of the
Eunuchs it is called “Chakla of Eunuchs”.46 Ichra was also well
known for the Eunuch population but not today, it was called
Dubai of Eunuchs. Besides this, the whole city is divided
among them where they have their deras or houses. The area
that is considered highly important for the Eunuchs is Heera-
Mandi. That is also known as Shahi Mohallah (the place for the
guest of the royal family) and Chowk Chakla. In the reign of
Ranjeet Singh, the Heera Mandi of Lahore occupied the fourth
position after Kolkata, Banglore, and Mumbai.47 Many
Eunuchs can be seen in the Heera- Mandi even today. Louis
Brown mentions that ten per cent of dancing girls are Khusras
in Heera Mandi.48
Hijras began to populate Heera Mandi, a notorious place for
sex business when women prostitutes migrated to posh
localities of the city. It happened because it had become un-
fashioned to visit the Heera Mandi which was losing attraction
some thirty years ago. Many rich prostitutes migrated to posh
areas such as Allama Iqbal Town, Samnabad, Multan Road,
Model Town, Garden Town, Gulper, Faisal Town and Defence.
Sixty per cent of prostitutes moved to the posh areas and their
vacant houses were occupied by the eunuchs in the early
1990s.49Prostitution was also affected by the strict policy of
Islamization of Zia-ul- Haq who did not stop the business of
prostitutes but strictly restricted them to stopping business
before midnight. The Eunuchs started living in Heera Mandi
under the supervision of their Gurus. Some famous Gurus of
Lahore are also living in Heera Mandi. It is believed that
Eunuchs living in Heera Mandi is mostly from kanjur50
families who are experts in dancing and singing. The residential
areas of Eunuchs are known by the name of the Gurus. Those
who have become too old and experienced are known as Daad

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Guru. They have the begging rights and no Eunuchs from other
areas can come there to ask badhai or alms. The Eunuchs have
an organized supporting network. They have their specific
areas to do their sex business and ask for alms. Some parks and
mizarats are also visited for business. In most cases, Eunuchs
are found at places where female prostitutes also work for
example Moon Market, Liberty Market, Jinnah Garden and
many more.
The Eunuch community in Lahore is an integrated whole but
every Eunuch has his own set of problems that provokes him to
enter the world of the marginalized. Joining the community
makes some of them satisfied but some of them remain
dissatisfied. Some of them claimed that they have a craze for
dance and want to adopt dancing as a profession and join the
Hijra community to improve their dancing skills. A Eunuch
Komal said, “Dance is my passion since I was a child. I danced
in female clothes at family functions, and everyone praised me.
When I grew up people made fun of my passion and I was even
called a kanjur and khusra. I still remember these words and
remarks. This passion is deep-rooted in my soul. I dance at the
shrines of the Sufis. Dancing is the expression of one’s inner
self. I find it difficult to quit dancing. I was unable to leave this
even when my family beat me several times. Finally, I joined
this community where I am respected and teach my chellas
how to dance.”51Eunuch’s inclination to behave like a woman
is a commonly observed reason in the case of Eunuchs joining
the commune. They are possessed with the idea that they have a
male body, but their soul is female, they do not feel
comfortable in the male body that’s why get castrated and get
rid of maleness.
New Trend in the Living Patterns of the Eunuchs of
Lahore:
In Lahore, the Eunuchs have been living within the narrow
confines of their community and have their subculture with
specific norms and rituals. Eunuchs are condemned to live with
us as ‘the other’ with their peculiar norms and rituals. Society
provides them with space through which their traditional
pattern role within society is justified and allows them to be a

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Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

part of society. Their socio-economic position provides them

with a space for their existence with the specific traditional
role,52but outside this role, they are not considered as part of
society.
A slight change in traditions of Eunuchs commune particularly
in Lahore city transpired with the waning years that not only
distinguishes them from the prevalent tradition but also pushes
them into social evils such as begging and prostitution. Many
Eunuchs also believe that their traditional living style has
changed over the years. Almost 73.4% of Eunuchs admit this
fact however, 26.5% think differently.53But the question is how
did this traditional pattern of life change? Ibbetson’s account
of Hijras in the nineteenth century also reveals the activities of
the zenanas
… They learn to dance and sing and pass
days in indolence. They can be recognized
by their matak chal (behaving like women).
Each of them has husbands….. Zananas is a
recognized class: they hire khotas or upper
storeys of the shop like prostitutes……all
members of zananas mandli are impotent
men given to sodomy, though some of them
are married and have children…They have
deprived the prostitutes of their means of
livelihood...54
In the Lahore city, zananas55 are emerging within the
commune at such an increasing pace that it becomes a source of
disrepute. Consequently, some new customs are being
introduced that are not cherished by the commune. The
Phenomenon of zananas has emerged as a big source of
embarrassment and stigma for the commune. Zananas have
introduced such baneful practices which normally do not
correspond with the traditions and customs of Eunuchs.
Zananas involvement in male prostitution and begging has
proven to be a slur for the Eunuchs’ community at large. The
zananas are the people, who were once part of the commune.
Now most of them have started their own Deras. They hire the
rooms/ houses which are called deras of Chaways.56 This,

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however, does not mean that Eunuchs are keeping themselves

away from such practices as begging and prostitution. One may
argue that Zananas have taken the lead and (other) Eunuchs
have followed them. A eunuch Kiran Shahzadi a resident of
Lahore is of the view regarding the changes in the Eunuch
commune that their society, no doubt, for the last few years has
been undergoing a new turn and it is due to the role of media
that not only has unhinged their economic structure but also
encouraged them to look for alternative sources of income. We
are left with no other option except begging and prostitution to
sustain ourselves because the people’s interest in Eunuch for
entertainment is deflated by the alternative entertainment on
TV and cable networks. Another development that has taken
place during the last few years is that the upper middle class
prefers girls instead of Eunuchs for sex and entertainment
which renders us destitute.57
Eunuchs are associated with the profession of dancing, singing
and sex business but the specialty that made the eunuchs of
Lahore different from the other eunuchs of the country is that
many of them have alone adopted other means of earning than
sex. A few Eunuchs claimed that they have paan shops. During
an interview, Eunuch said that she has a paan shop in Anarkali.
She further told that she is a dancer and does not want to beg.
‘Some people do not like to visit the shop due to my ambiguous
identity’. This irrational behaviour condemns her to be
confined within the community and it also denies respectability
which is the right of every citizen. Such extreme actions force
us to adopt unfair means for our survival. Some eunuchs are
beauticians/ makeup artists. Some, however, insist that they are
born naturally, and they cannot work at other places except
dancing and singing because they have been doing this for
centuries. It was considered a code that Hijras cannot work at
the houses of others.58
Eunuchs and Gays in Lahore
The most growing and well-recognized class in the city of
Lahore is no other than the ‘MSM’ (man having sex with a
man) which consists of the smaller categories of gays, eunuchs
and also the people who have a marginal interest in men. It

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Journal of Historical Studies
Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

looks very complicated to differentiate between gays and

Eunuchs. Most people do not make a distinction between
eunuchs and gays. The international and local organizations59
put them in the category of MSM. The city of Lahore is a place
where people belonging to this category are in abundance. It
was estimated in 2002 that thirty-eight thousand MSM are
living in Lahore city including four per cent of Hijras.60 The
very basis of their behaviour is local with a slight difference
from the culture of the eunuchs. Although they have
improvised many of their traits still it is more indigenous in
their very nature. In some cases, gays and homosexuals joined
this community for their sexual satisfaction. Because of the
existence of these people, social responses become more
negative about Hijras commune and extremely vulnerable to
exploitation.
Eunuchs are marginalized but some attempts are also going to
be made to elevate their status in society as the government is
initiating a few attempts to give them legal and civil rights.
Eunuchs are quite optimistic that they will gain a measure of
respectability after a long Journey of miseries and deprivation.
Conclusion:
This article sheds light on the socioeconomic factors
influencing the marginalization of the Eunuch community in
Lahore. Despite a rich historical presence, Eunuchs have faced
persistent marginalization throughout the years. The perception
of Eunuchs has evolved, resulting in their institutionalized
identity as individuals who do not conform to traditional gender
norms. Consequently, they have become social outcasts, pushed
to the fringes of society. The forces of globalization, media,
and evolving cultural trends further exacerbate their
marginalization, leading many Eunuchs to resort to begging
and prostitution for survival. The study highlights the urgent
need for societal recognition, acceptance, and support for the
Eunuch community, challenging the stigma and discrimination
they face.

56
 Dr Huma Pervaiz & Ali Aman

References
1 Reported, Eunuchs Enjoy Equals Rights in Pakistan, Rules
Supreme Court, Daily Dawn, 25/9/2012.
2 An interview with a eunuch named Laila on 3rd February 2021

at Ghory Shah Lahore.

3 Khawaja is a Persian word, and it was prestigious term which

was used for the eunuchs in the Sub- Continent. See Saiyed
Shahabu-din- Dasnudi, Fahmida Begum, Jamiya Urdu Lughat
(Jhelum: Book Corner), p.433.
4 She is Associate Professor of linguistics and anthropology at

university of Colorado. Most of her works focus on language in

India and United States with special reference to Gender and
Sexuality.
5 Kira Hall, “Go Suck your Husband’s Sugar Cane: Hijra and the

Use of Sexual
Insult”http://www.colorad.edu/linguistice/faculty/kira-
hall/articles/Hall.P.436.
6 Serena Nanda, Neither Man nor Woman, Hijras of India

(Belmont: Wads Worth,1999), p.13

7 Eunuchs can be divided into three categories according to their

existing classes. The most important category of the eunuchs

consists of those who are born with sexual deformity, and they
are unable to procreate. Such eunuchs have further two
categories male and female impotent. Another category
comprises of those who are castrated thus of their sexual organ is
rendered ineffective. Another type is of transvestites mostly they
are male and have children. They dress like woman and exhibit
feminine tendencies. Most of them are bisexual and obsessed
with thought that they are born with wrong body being feminine
by gender but male by sex. This information is collected through
the survey of selected population of eunuchs living in different
areas of Lahore.
8 Syed Ahmad Delhivi,Farang-e-Asfiya,voll.ii(Lahore:Maktab-e-

Hassan,1908),p.207
9 Uta Ranke Heinemann, Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven:

Women, Sexuality and Catholic Church (UK: Doubleday, 1990), 4.

See also Sandra, “The Eunuch,” retrieved from
http://[email protected].

57
Journal of Historical Studies
Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

10 It is the ritual of castration, which is called Nirban or Nirvana

in eunuch’s language; it is process of the rebirth of an individual
as Hijra. See Zahid Akas, Heera Mandi (Lahore: Book Home,
2005), p.44.
11 An interview with the eunuchs Akhtar (Baby), Romi, Madhiya,

Nadia and Rukshana at Lahore.

12 Niccolo Manuchi, Mogul India,1653-1708 (London: John

Murrey,1907), vol.ii.p.350.
13 Piotr O Scholz, Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History, Journal

of History, Volume 14, no 2 June, pp.246-247 retrieved

17/3/2008 from http://www.muse.jha.edu/journal-history.
14 Sayed Ahmed Delhvi, Farhangy Asfiya (Lahore, Maktaba-e-

Hassan,1908) vol;ii p.208.

15 Yahiya, Tarikhkh-i- Mubarak Shahi,156 Gillmans and Eunuchs

retrieved from http://www.voice of dharma.org/books.com.

16 Abul Fazal, Ain-Akbari, Trans.H.Blochman(Qusain Publisher:

Lahore,1975),p.442.
17 Tuzk-i-Jahangri, Trans by Ijaz-ul-Haq (Qadusi: Majlasiya-i-

Tarikiya Adab, Lahore) ,voll.ii,p.107.

18 Gillmans and Eunuchs retrieved from http://www.voice of

dharma.org/books.com.
19 William Dalrymple,The Last Mughal( London: Blooms

Bury,2006),p.xvii
20 Tuzuki-i-Jahangri, p.264.
21 Francois Bernier, Travel in the Mogul Empire (AD 1656-1668),

trans.Archibald Constable( Delhi: Low Price Publication),p.135.

22 M.Husain, The Rehla of IBn Battuta (Baroda, 1953), p.235.
23 Niccolo Manucci, Mogul India 1653-1708, trans,Willim

Irvin,voll.ii,pp,78-79.
24 Abdul, Haleem Sharar, Lucknow the last Phase of Oriental

Culture, Trans.ed,by E.S Havcourt and Fakhir Hussain(United

States West View Press), p.31-32
25 Sudhakar Krishnamart “Alternative Destination”, retrieved

from http://www.wordpress.com.
26 She was the wife of Mir Hassan Ali, the London gentle man,

who was the noble in the court of king Ghazi-i-uddin-Haider, she

spent 11 years in Lucknow where she wrote book about the
customs and culture of the Nauwabs families.

58
 Dr Huma Pervaiz & Ali Aman

27 Abdul, Haleem Sharar, Lucknow the last Phase of Oriental

Culture, Trans.ed,by E.S Havcourt and Fakhir Hussain(United
States West View Press),p.248-250.
28 Seerana Nanda, Neither Man Nor Women: The Hijra of India, p. 49.
29 Louis Brown, Dancing Girls of Lahore (New York: Happer

Collins, 2005), p.35.

30 Susie Jolly, Why the Development industry should get over its

obsession with bad and start to think about pleasure (working

paper) (UK, Institute of Development,2007), p.14
31 This act was drafted by the Thomas Babbington Macaulay

(who was the president of the Indian Law commission in 1835)

with the aim of rationalize the splintered system of India. He
made many drafts to criminalize the sodomy as heinous crime.
Under the section of 337: It is stated ‘who ever voluntarily has
carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man
woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life,
or with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall
not be less than two years more than ten years and shall be liable
to fine..Alok Gupta,” Section 377 and the Dignity of the Indian
Homosexuals” retrieved from
http://www.geocities.com/husciology/homosexuality.
32 Jessica Hinchy, Governing Gender and Sexuality in Colonial

India: The Hijras c 1850-1900, 2019, Cambridge University press.

Pp, 9-19.
33 Laurence W Preston, A Right to Exist: Eunuchs and State in the

Nineteenth Century, Modern Asian studies,21(2), p.378.

34 Seerena Nanda, Neither Man nor Women: The Hijras of India, p.49.
35 An interview with a eunuch named Chanda on 19th October

2021 GulBahar Colony, Lahore.

36Eunuchs’ culture has a lot of similarities with the Hindus

(eunuchs) and they are tangibly influenced by the Hindus. From

the cultural perspective, anthropologists and sociologists have
provided details of the many components of culture and aspects
of social structure of the non-Hindu communities that have either
been borrowed from the Hindus or are residues from their pre-
conversion. T.N,Madan, Religions of India, Plurality and Pluralism,
taken from Religious Pluralism in south Asia and Europe, edited by
Jamal Malik, (Helnutreiseld: Oxford university Press,2005),p.42.
37 Special power of procreate/fertility are attached with third

sex in Hinduism through myths. This power is blessed because of

59
Journal of Historical Studies
Vol. IX. No. I (Jan-Jun 2023) PP 42-61

ritual of emasculation. The ritual of emasculation connected the

Hijras with ambiguous deity of mother goddess Bahuchara Mata.
The Hijras gain the power of fertility from Mata but after
emasculation. For details see Shikha, Trivedi, “Ma Bahuchara
‘Goddess of Eunuchs” retrieved from http://www.archive.org.
Dance is also a favorable profession for eunuchs because they
trace the origin of dancing institution from Ramayana (epic
poem). According to Ramayana, the legend Ram was exiled for
fourteen years from Adhoya with his wife Sita, the whole city
followed him, but he said ‘men and women please wipe your
tears and go off. But the eunuchs who were not considered men
and women did not follow the instructions and stayed put. When
the Ram came back after defeating Ravenna (his enemy), he
found them there waiting for him. He blessed them with power
that made them good enough to bestow blessings on people at
auspicious occasions. Gayatri Reddy, With Respect to Sex,
Negotiating Hijra Identity in South Asia (Chicago: Chicago
University Press, 2005), p.19.
38 Typical language of the Eunuchs is called Chandarana and

some eunuchs called it Persian/Pharsi. The word Chandarana is

not from Persian language according to Sanskrit dictionary
chandarana is derived from chandrana which mean injan
banna,bt talna, ,barhny sa rokna. In Urdu chandarana is derived
from Chandra which mean injan bana, .Urdu Lughat ,Tarikhi
Asalon Pa,Voll.7th, (Tarikiya Urdu Board Karachi,1986),P.604-6
39 An interview with a Eunuch named Saleem in Lahore on 2nd

January 2008.
40This information is collected through interviews with various

eunuchs from different areas of Lahore.

41A eunuch named Romi from Heera Mandi talked about these

words which have an erotic meaning in their origin sense.

42An interview with a Eunuch named Rukhsana in Lahore in 2021.
43Kira, Hall, Go Suck your Husband’s Sugar Cane, retrieved from

www.colorado.edu/linguistice/faculity/kira-hall/articles/Hall. p.438.
44The eunuchs used many signs with each other and sometimes

with whom, which may become their client and can understand
their meaning. While shaking hands with someone, when a
eunuch rubbed with her thumbs its mean that eunuch is in the
mood to do sex without of any charge. However, with the
moment elbow they try to know the intention of their client. This

60
 Dr Huma Pervaiz & Ali Aman

information is collected through an interview with a eunuch

named Majeed on 9th January 2018 at Mozang, Lahore.
45 The older one is known as Guru which means teacher or

mother. Every Guru holds its own area where his Chelas has the
right of begging and demand for alms.
46An interview with the eunuch named Mahwish on 27th

September 2021 Rang Mahal Lahore.

47Zahid Akas, Heera Mandi (Lahore: Book home Publishers,

2005), P.48.
48Louis Brown, The Dancing Girls of the Lahore (Harper Collins:

New York), p.50.

49 Ibid 42.
50 A person who is from prostitutes or entertainers’ family.
51 An Interview with a castrated eunuch named Guru Chanda on

6th November 2021 in Lahore (city cinema Heera Mandi).

52 Dancing and singing at auspicious occasion are considered

traditional role of Hijras in sub- continent.

53 These facts are collected through the survey of selected

population of the eunuchs of Lahore.

54 Sir Denzil Ibbetson, Mr. E.D. Maclagan, A glossary of the Tribes

and castes of Punjab and North-west Frontier Province, vol. ii, Civil
Military Gazette Press, Lahore, p.332.
55 Zananas is term which is deployed for Cross-dresser, who is

bisexual mostly have their families and children. He is not

castrated or impotent but a feminish man who assumes feminine
tendencies. Most of them are part of Eunuch’s community but are
not considered real Hijras.
56 An interview with a eunuch named Neeli on 1st January 2021

Heera Mandi Lahore. She said that zananas are called chaway in
the typical language of eunuchs and their houses are called Deras
of chaways.
57 An interview with a eunuch named Kiran Shahzadi 11th June

2021 Urdu Bazar Lahore.

58 Reported”Khusry Apna Case Adalat aur Police ka pas Nahi la

jaty’Jung Friday Magazine 9th August 2018.

59 Such as World Bank, UNAIDS, Pakistan National Aids

Programm, Contech Organization and Sathi Foundation.

60 “Pakistan Marginalized Male Sex Workers,” United Nation

Report/Human Rights Society on Labour & Environment from

http:// www.aegis.com.

61