Hidjera

Of all the people with whom F. B. Solvyns interacted while in Calcutta and its surrounding regions, none would have attracted more notice than the Hidjera (pronounced ‘hijra’) or eunuch, a community that was both feted as well as repulsed but played an important role in Hindu society and sacred rituals. This coloured etching was published by Solvyns in the second of four volumes published in Paris and consisted of 288 prints.