Urvashi Rautela has landed in hot water following a controversial statement she made during a recent interview. The Daaku Maharaj actress claimed that a temple near the revered Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand is dedicated to her.
She went on to say that she hopes a similar temple will be constructed in South India as well, considering her growing body of work in southern cinema. Her remarks quickly went viral, prompting a wave of criticism and disbelief, particularly from the religious community and locals in Uttarakhand.
Among those who publicly condemned her claim was popular television actress Rashami Desai. Taking to Instagram, Rashami didn’t mince her words. “It’s sad that people don’t even take action against such nonsense… Bharat main Hinduism is becoming joke. BTW, she politically correct when she kept repeating her answer. Representing India and talking senseless on purpose… it’s sad please don’t play game on the name of religion,” she wrote, expressing both disappointment and anger over the matter.
Bhuwan Chandra Uniyal, a former religious officer associated with Badrinath Dham, stepped in to set the record straight. He explained that the temple in question has no connection whatsoever with Urvashi Rautela. According to him, it is an ancient shrine dedicated to Goddess Urvashi, a celestial being from Hindu mythology, often regarded as a manifestation of Goddess Sati. Uniyal strongly criticized the actress’s remarks and called for legal action against her for spreading misleading information.
Adding to the growing backlash, residents of the villages of Bamni and Pandukeshwar expressed their outrage. They accused Rautela of misrepresenting sacred cultural and historical facts, arguing that her claim distorts the religious significance of a centuries-old site.
As the controversy continues to stir debate online and offline, Urvashi Rautela’s statement has not only offended religious sentiments but also reignited discussions on accountability and respect when invoking faith and tradition in the public sphere.
