female identification very seriously. During worship, they wear feminine clothes and ornaments, even in public. They sometimes observe Hindu taboos associated with the menstruation period. Another matter of esoteric secrecy is the relationship between the sakhis and Rama. Although sakhis consider themselves as mugdha or unmarried girls, in many cases, their initiation as ‘deeply engrossed sakhis’ takes place through a symbolic wedding ceremony between them and Lord Rama. It is believed that sakhis who are initiated this way are ‘taken by the hand’ by Rama, who, although not openly married to
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