An American YouTuber is raising a holy stink after he filmed a dung-flinging ritual in a remote Indian village.
Tyler Oliveira, 25, shared a teaser clip titled “Inside India’s Poop-Throwing Festival,” where it quickly piled up more than 5 million views.
But the video, taken at the Gorehabba festival, in which villagers hurl dried cow dung at each other as part of a post-Diwali Hindu tradition, was criticized for ignoring the significance behind the smelly stunt.
In another post, he shared a picture of himself in a hazmat suit and goggles covered in brown smears following the event in the remote village of Gumatapura, in Karnataka, southwestern India.
“Happy Diwali! Yes, I went to India’s poop throwing festival. It was the s—tiest experience of my life. I will never go back. Please pray that I survive,” he wrote, accompanying the post with a poop emoji.
Backlash soon started piling up around him.
He subsequently shared screengrabs purporting to show that his video was facing censorship and mass reporting from Indian users who claim he is smearing their country.
“Why do you have to come to India and then record a video of a cow dung festival by going in the middle of the event and then cry like a loser!” one Indian X user wrote.
“You s—ty fellow. You can record poop in Western countries, plenty on streets of California. Human poop you can have record in your countries. Make videos,” the user added.
“I’ve filmed in many of these cities. Don’t be mad bro,” Oliveira responded.
Others claimed the YouTuber, who has more than 8 million subscribers, had been hired to leave a stain on India’s reputation.
“He’s not here to explore; he’s here to defame. It’s hard to believe this isn’t part of a planned smear campaign,” an X user wrote.
“He is known for spreading racism & misinformation,” added another.
Others insisted the video of the annual festival, which is also held in at least two other Indian villages, must be AI-generated BS.
“This is 100% real. I can’t wait to show you a 30-minute version of it,” Oliveira said in response to a doubter.
Devotees of the festival believe their god, Beereshwara Swamy, was born in cow excrement, and the ritual is seen as sacred and purifying.
But some purported Indian social media users argued that in the modern day, such a smelly tradition would only paint the country in a bad light.
“India’s PR got nuked. I am not sure how to defend my country anymore,” a Reddit user said.
“Once that drops, we’re finished. Why does the government even allow this disgusting festival to happen? Why hasn’t it been banned already? It’s crazy how one tiny village can tank India’s image this bad,” they added.
Oliveira did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
