Every April-May, hundreds of trans women throng a quiet village in Tamil Nadu to turn into brides for Mahabharata martyr Aravan. These spell-binding images from photographer Shino Cherian’s new book on the Koovagam festival show how they find divine love for just a day, before mourning the hero’s death

The iconic event, hosted at the Government Botanical Garden in the Nilgiris district, forms the centrepiece of Ooty’s summer celebrations and attracts visitors from across India and abroad