DOne such belief that is often quoted in discussions on homosexuality is the one surrounding the worship of Lord Ayyappa. Ayyappa, also known as Hariharaputra and Manikantha, is worshipped mainly in South India. Medieval texts narrate how Lord Ayyappa was born of the sexual union between two male gay Gods Shiva and Vishnu when the latter temporarily took a female form. To date the worshippers of Ayyappa are mainly men, pre and post-pubertal women but he is also found to be popular with gay men. Strange no one explains why Ayyappa%u2019s rituals exclude sexually active women!
