Men dress up as women for traditional ritual at annual Indian festival

This annual festival held at a temple in Kerala, India, sees men dressing up as women during a special ritual.

During the Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku festival, the males dressed as females hold traditional lamps whilst walking in procession to the Kottankulangara Devi temple.

Men of all ages gather at the temple each year in female attire, holding a lamp with five wicks lit in order to please the goddess Bhagavathy.

The Chamayavilakku procession falls on the 10th and 11th of the Malayalam month Meenam (mid-March). The annual eleven-day festival starts at 1st of Meenam.