Iravan, Son of Arjuna

At the Koothandavar Temple in Koovagam, a village in Kallakurichi district, Tamil Nadu, there is an annual festival celebrated by transgenders, which takes place over fifteen days in Chithirai (April/May) month.

The festival honors Iravan, also called Koothandavar. Iravan, a lesser-known character in the Mahabharatha epic, was the son of the Pandava prince, Arjuna.

At the festival, participants tie the knot with Lord Koothandavar, re-enacting the marriage of Koothandavar and Mohini (a form of Lord Vishnu). The following day, the celebrants mourn Koothandavar's death with ritualistic dances and break their bangles to signify their widowhood. A beauty pageant, other competitions, and discussions related to transgender rights are also held. People come from all over India to celebrate the festival.

Iravan, who is also known as Iravant and Aravat, has many devotees in South India. Apart from the Koothandavar cult, he is also worshipped by followers of the Draupadi cult.

Iravan’s mother was Uloopi, a Naga princess. The Adi Parva of Mahabharata talks about his birth. Arjuna had four wives: Draupadi, Subhadra, Chitrangada and Uloopi. He had four sons by them - Srutakirti, Abhimanyu, Babhruvahana, and Iravan, respectively.

Birth of Iravan

The Pandavas were ruling Indraprastha when Arjuna had to go on a one-year self-imposed exile for breaking a pact with his brothers. It was during this period that he met Uloopi. She was the daughter of Kauravya, the Naga king. It was love at first sight for her, and she quickly proposed to the handsome Arjuna. Though he was not in love with her, he didn’t want to refuse her. So, he married her.

Their union took place in the ocean’s magical depths, surrounded by exotic ocean creatures. Uloopi conceived a son, Iravan, who had the same 32 special marks that Arjuna had. After their union, Arjuna continued his travels. Uloopi raised Iravan in Nagaloka, the abode of the Naga clan. He went to Indraloka on attaining maturity, hoping to reunite with Arjuna, who was Indra’s son.

A description of Iravan says he was born parakshetre, or "in a region that belonged to another person." He grew up in Nagaloka under his mother’s protection but faced rejection by his maternal uncle, as his uncle despised Arjuna.

Iravan’s Sacrifice

The Kurukshetra war was about to commence. Krishna, who was on the Pandavas’ side, knew that the Kauravas were very powerful and that only divine intervention could help defeat them. Krishna suggested narabali, or a human sacrifice, to appease Goddess Kali and gain her blessings to win the war.

But Goddess Kali would only accept the sacrifice of a man who had 32 special characteristics. On hearing this, Uloopi realized the reason for her attraction to Arjuna. She was the person destined to give birth to Iravan, who had the 32 special traits that he inherited from his father.

The only other people with these traits were Krishna and Arjuna. However, neither of them could be sacrificed as they were indispensable for the war. When Krishna approached Iravan and sought his help, the latter readily agreed, like a dutiful son.

Before his self-sacrifice to Goddess Kali, Iravan said that he had two conditions. One was that he didn’t want to die unmarried. Since no woman was willing to marry someone who was going to die soon, Krishna took the form of the beautiful Mohini and married Iravan. His second condition was that he wanted to fight in the war and die as a hero on the battlefield. Krishna agreed.

Then, Iravan cut himself up into 32 pieces. His body was sacrificed to Kali. Pleased, she appeared to Arjuna and Krishna and blessed them with victory in the war. Due to the Goddess’ grace, Iravan also became whole again and took part in the great war, as he had wished.

Iravan’s Head

The Draupadi cult mentions another boon linked to Iravan and the war. In this account, Krishna allows Iravan to witness the entire war through the eyes of his severed head hoisted on a pole that overlooked the battleground. Iravan’s severed head is a frequently occurring motif in Draupadi temples. In places like Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, and Pattukkotai, Iravan's head is permanently enshrined in a mandap or a temple niche. The largest of these Iravan heads is at the Hajiyar Theru temple, Kumbakonam.

This incident also evokes another event in the Mahabharatha, in which the Nepalese king, Yalamber, arranged to have his head severed and hoisted on a pole that oversaw the battlefield. When the Kurukshetra war began, King Yalamber was about to leave for Kurukshetra to witness the war first-hand. He was planning to ally with the losing side.

Aware of Yalamber’s intentions and strength, Krishna felt the war would be needlessly prolonged if Yalamber took sides with the Kauravas. So he intercepted Yalamber en route and said that if the king gave him his head, he would place it in an elevated place so that the king could see the battle from a vantage point overlooking the Kurukshetra plains. Then, the king would not have to travel all the way to Kurukshetra. Thus, Krishna prevented Yalamber from interfering in the battle.

Iconography of Iravan

In popular images, Iravan's head sports a mustache and features large eyes and ears. He wears a conical crown, earrings, and a Vaishnava tilak. Sometimes, he has a Naga hood or hoods over the crown or emerging from it. His teeth are large and curved, like a demon’s.

Iravan’s War Exploits

Iravan sought Indra's help for the Kurukshetra War. On the first day of the war, Iravan fought Srutayush, a Kshatriya king. On the seventh day, Iravan defeated the Avanti princes, Vinda and Anuvinda.

On the eighth day, he fought the Gandhara princes, King Suvala’s sons, and Shakuni’s younger brothers. All the brothers attacked Iravan with the support of the entire Kaurava army. However, Iravan's Naga army killed all but one of them. Iravan, who was an expert in maya (illusion)—killed five Gandhara princes.

Death of Iravan

An agitated Duryodhana commanded the Rakshasa Alamvusha, Sage Rishyasringa’s son, to kill Iravan. Both Alambusha and Iravan used maya against each other. Iravan broke Alambusha's bow and sliced him into pieces.

But Alambusha's body became whole again. Iravan then took the form of Sesha, the serpent. His army of serpents encircled him protectively. Alambusha then took the form of Garuda, the serpents’ enemy, and devoured the serpents.

Finally, Alambusha killed Iravan by decapitating him. Later, Ghatotkacha, cousin of Iravan, killed Alambusha.

Followers of the Draupadi cult commemorate these inicidents from the Kurukshetra war during the annual festival called Patukalam. The festival commences with a kuthu (drama) that re-enacts Draupadi's wedding. During the festival, the actor who plays the role of Draupadi, and other women taking part in the public ceremonies, mourn the death of Iravan and other heroes who lost their lives in the great war. The place where the ritual kalappali is performed symbolizes the battlefield of Kurukshetra

Conclusion

Though Iravan does not play a major role in the Mahabharatha epic, his significance is beyond doubt. His self-sacrifice enabled the Pandavas to gain victory in the war. He stands as an enduring symbol of duty and valor, a man who did not hesitate to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good.

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