Miss World Contestants Get Feet Washed at Telangana Temple, Sparks Outrage

Transcript

00:00A video of Telangana women assisting Miss World contestants in washing their feet has

00:04drawn criticism online.

00:06The incident took place on May 14, 2025 at the entrance of Ramappa Temple in Mulugu District,

00:12a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

00:14For your information, the Miss World contest began with a grand ceremony on 10th May 2025

00:19in Hyderabad and will conclude on 31st May 2025.

00:23Before the finale, contestants visited Telangana's iconic Ramappa Temple and Thousand Pillar

00:27Temple.

00:28Before the ritual, the contestants washed their feet before entering the temple premises.

00:33Videos that later surfaced on social media showed Telangana women believed to be volunteers

00:37assisting the Miss World contestants with the ritual.

00:41Some were even seen drying the contestants' feet with towels.

00:44Some ex-users called the act racist and colonial, accusing the government of reducing Indian

00:48women to mere props.

00:50This is disgusting and casteist, one user posted.

00:53Others countered, saying most contestants washing their own feet with volunteers only assisting.

00:58In cases where one or two contestants may not have understood the rituals, a few volunteers

01:02were seen helping them.

01:04Opposition parties slammed the Congress-led Telangana government for degrading local women,

01:08with BRS leaders alleging that Dalit and tribal women were forced into service.

01:12They also wrote an open letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding an unconditional apology from the

01:17Congress.

01:18BJP's G. Kish and Reddy called it a humiliating act that reeked of a colonial mindset and

01:23demanded apologies from Rahul and Sonia Gandhi.

01:25Meanwhile, the Miss World organization described the ritual as a gesture rooted in tradition and

01:30mutual respect, emphasizing the spiritual and cultural significance of the temple visit.

01:35At the time of publishing this video, the Telangana government had not issued any official statement

01:39on the controversy.

01:40What's your take on this?

01:42Tell us in the comments below.