The sight of Telangana women washing the feet of Miss World contestants before they step into the ancient Ramappa temple in Mulugu has stirred up quite the uproar, being labelled as both disgusting and racist. The contestants visited two of Telangana’s most prominent heritage temples — the Ramappa Temple, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Thousand Pillar Temple in Warangal. The video captures a scene where women, said to be volunteers, lend a hand to beauty pageant contestants adorned in Gaurang Shah’s exquisite ghaghras and sarees, assisting them in rinsing their feet and even drying them off with towels. The video has aroused widespread outrage, prompting Union Minister and BJP MP G Kishan Reddy to aggressively attack the Congress government. What Really Happened? Despite the claims, the video did not depict women physically touching or washing the participants’ feet. The footage shows the woman pouring water into brass plates while the participants placed their feet in them. Towels were provided underneath each chair, and most contestants then wiped their feet. Gaurang drapes contestants in handloom legacy The story was spun, quite literally, by Hyderabad’s Gaurang Shah — designer, textile revivalist, and long-time champion of Indian weaves. “I had the incredible opportunity to style Miss World contestants during their visit to Telangana’s iconic 1000 Pillar Temple and Ramappa Temple. “I drew inspiration from the rich textile traditions of Telangana — featuring Gadwal, Narayanpet, and Ikkats of Pochampally and its surrounding weaving. I explored a range of weaves and yarns: cotton, silk, tussar, cotton-silk blends, muga, matka, and chanderi — each telling a unique story of craftsmanship. Contestants wore sarees in Warangal and ghaghras at Ramappa Temple,” says Gaurang Shah, who made 34 ghaghra sets for Rammapa Temple ranging between Rs 1,10,000 and Rs 1,38,500 and 20 sarees for the 1000 Pillar Temple ranging between Rs 10,500 and Rs 58,500. “All the outfits which contestants wore came back to me post event,” he adds.
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