A video showing Miss World 2025 contestants taking part in a foot-washing ritual at Telangana’s Ramappa Temple has triggered a wave of outrage and political backlash across India. The viral clip, circulated widely on May 14, features local women pouring water over the contestants’ feet using traditional brass pots and, in some instances, offering towels to dry them. While the Telangana Tourism Department maintains that the ritual was part of a customary welcome during a cultural tour ahead of the Miss World finale, critics online and offline have slammed the visuals as regressive, casteist, and reflective of colonial subservience. The temple visit was one of many during the tour, which also included the Thousand Pillar Temple in Warangal, and was intended to highlight Telangana’s heritage.
Social media users erupted in criticism, calling the act humiliating and “a masterclass in white worship.” Journalist Sumit Jha and others labeled the ceremony as “culturally illegitimate” and “disgusting,” while activist Revathi called it a “casteist and racist display.” Political voices, too, joined the chorus. Former Telangana minister and BRS MLA Sabitha Indra Reddy termed the ritual “wicked and shameful,” demanding an apology from the Congress-led state government. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao accused the chief minister of promoting servility under the guise of hospitality, and Y. Sathish Reddy branded the ceremony a “national insult,” questioning its implications on women’s dignity and empowerment.
However, the issue has split public opinion. Some netizens defended the act, saying it was a misrepresented traditional welcome and emphasized that no one was forced to perform the gesture. Others insisted that offering towels and physically wiping the feet crossed a line of respect and propriety. The incident has since sparked a broader debate on cultural representation and the use of ancient rituals in modern global events. While the Telangana government has yet to release an official statement, the controversy has drawn sharp attention to how traditions are contextualized — and sometimes distorted — in the spotlight of international pageantry.
