A placing mix of custom and glamour unfolded on the 800-year-old Ramappa Temple in Telangana’s Mulugu district as Miss World 2025 contestants from the European area have been welcomed for a cultural tour.
In accordance with their official Instagram web page, the occasion was “organised by Telangana Tourism Division, the expertise started with a ceremonial welcome on the UNESCO World Heritage Website – Ramappa Temple, often known as Rudreshwara Temple. A pink carpet led the best way into the location, the place the visitors – wearing vibrant saris with contemporary flowers adorning their hair – arrived.
Accompanied by cultural specialists and officers, the guests explored the architectural marvels of the Kakatiya dynasty, watched conventional dance performances, and attended a vibrant light-and-sound present narrating the temple’s 800-year-old legacy. The submit additionally stated, “As night settled in, the delegates have been captivated by native artists’ performances, culminating in a spectacular mild present that illuminated the temple’s majestic construction. To commemorate the expertise, they have been introduced with handcrafted native presents, celebrating Telangana’s wealthy inventive heritage.”
In accordance with PTI, “Earlier than coming into the temple, the contestants participated in a customary foot washing ritual, utilizing elegant plates full of water.” In video clips circulated broadly on-line, feminine volunteers might be seen finishing up this ritual by pouring water whereas the contestants wash their ft.
This, nonetheless, seems to have been misinterpreted as volunteers washing the contestants’ ft with their very own fingers, a gesture that didn’t sit properly with many, together with former Minister S Niranjan Reddy. In accordance with Telangana As we speak, he stated, “This isn’t simply an insult to the ladies concerned, however to the dignity of (the) whole Telangana society,” accusing the Congress-led authorities of misplaced priorities amid farmer misery and nationwide safety issues.
Netizens questioned the ritual as properly. In a broadly shared video on X, a person commented: “Disgusting.” One other person stated, “Such a disgusting exercise by the state authorities it’s an out and out casteist and racist program.” “They need to really attempt it with their very own girls as an alternative of utilizing the opposite girls for this act,” wrote a 3rd X person.
Nonetheless, many got here ahead to defend the occasions. “I can see it very clearly they’re simply giving/pouring water…not touching their ft,” a person stated. One other wrote, “Washing ft of visitors isn’t colonial hangover. It is part of tradition. Lord Krishna did it to Sudama as properly.”
Significance of washing an individual’s ft in Indian temple traditions
Saru Subba, historian and founder, Carol Faculty Guwahati, instructed indianexpress.com, “In Indian religious traditions, washing somebody’s ft, ‘pāda prakṣālana’, is taken into account a mark of deep reverence and devotion. In lots of Hindu rituals, washing the ft of deities (in idol kind), saints, gurus, and generally honoured visitors is customary, symbolising a gesture of humility and respect. The apply is rooted within the perception that the ft carry a person’s bodily and symbolic journey, and to cleanse them is to acknowledge the sanctity of that journey.”
Volunteers have been tasked with washing and wiping the ft of the contestants.
The 72nd Miss World contestants throughout visits #RamappaTemple and #1000PillarTemple of twelfth century in Telangana, washed their ft earlier than coming into, a standard apply in #temple entry #rituals. pic.twitter.com/4vzu2s2w1g
— Dilip kumar (@PDilip_kumar) May 15, 2025
Communities and areas in India the place foot-washing continues to be a standard apply
Sure, foot-washing continues to be practiced in a number of areas throughout India, notably throughout Vedic rituals, marriage ceremonies, Puja rituals for monks, and Guru Purnima observances. As an illustration, Subba mentions:
Story continues beneath this advert
- In South Indian households and temples, throughout Sumangali Prarthanai or Kanya Puja, younger women are invited and their ft washed as they’re symbolically handled as embodiments of the Goddess.
- In North India, throughout Pitru Paksha or ancestral rites, the ft of Brahmins or elders are washed earlier than providing meals and presents.
- In Gaudiya Vaishnavism or different bhakti traditions, disciples could ceremonially wash the ft of their gurus throughout particular festivals.