Vaishnavas, i.e. sadhus who have chosen Rama or Krishna as their deity, are characterized by a strong, sentimental devotion and total self-surrender to one of his earthly 'incarnations' as the god-king Rama or the divine cowherd Krishna.
The deity is regarded as a 'person' with whom the devotee can establish an intimate bond, which usually takes the form of a Master-slave relationship.
Some sadhus, however, dare to regard him as their Lover, and since the deity is a male, it follows quite logically that they have to play the part of 'mistress' of the Lord. They are designated as sakhis. They imagine having an erotic 'love' relationship with him. Some sakhis even go to the extreme of pretending to have regular se+ual intercourse with their Lord -- except on the days when they're having their 'period'.
Obviously, the se+ual overtones of their behaviour make them rather suspect in the eyes of other ascetics, since repression of se+uality is the norm, not its projection. Even if this projection is aimed at a deity.
Nevertheless, it is a recognized way of expressing devotion to a deity -- and devotion is a characteristic of all sadhus.
These transvestite sadhus are to be distinguished from another group of transvestites, or rather eunuchs, who practise prostitution and obnoxious forms of begging.
The hijras, as they are known, are completely castrated upon initiation into their order. They are regarded as 'neither man nor woman', but they dress like women and affect exaggerated female mannerisms. As in almost all things Indian, there is a religious meaning to their voluntary mutilation and subsequent behaviour.
During Rama-festivals hijras may masquerade as sakhis in order to collect money.
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