The Status and Representation of the Third Gender in Ancient Indian Texts

The presence of a third gender, like man or woman, has never been accepted by society as a natural thing. One thing I can say is that neither ancient nor present society is free from gender discrimination. The seeds of the existence of the third gender community were planted at the beginning of civilization. The presence of the third gender has been directly observed in ancient Indian texts like Mānava-Dharmaśāstra, Arthaśāstra, Kāmasūtra, and Mahābhārata. Only a researcher can uncover the reason for their gender discrimination, which is the difference in sex chromosomes, and present the real truth to society. After thousands of years of humiliation, discrimination, and dependency, today their constitutional rights have been established. Like 'Male' and 'Female' in society, today they are known as 'Third Gender' or 'Transgender'.