On 23 October 2025, Tyler Oliveira shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) about his visit to India’s “Poop Throwing Festival,” as a teaser for his upcoming video detailing the festival of Gorehabba. This was a follow-up to an image of him in a hazmat suit covered in what was implied to be cow dung. This teaser immediately sparked a massive online backlash from Indian users, which escalated into severe harassment.
Tyler Oliveira, with a subscriber count of 8.4 million, faced severe backlash from angered Indians after the YouTuber posted a 30-minute-long video highlighting the cow dung festival, Gorehabba, on 10 November 2025.
Understanding the Gorehabba Festival
To understand the controversy, one must first understand the ritual at its center. The event Oliveira filmed was not a random “poop-throwing festival” but the Gorehabba (or ‘Gore Habba’), a specific, localized Hindu ritual.
Geographic and Temporal Specificity
The primary misconception was that this is a widespread Indian practice. It is not a ritual performed in the entirety of India, although similar acts, like playing Holi with cow dung, are seen in villages of North India. Gorehabba is celebrated almost exclusively in the small village of Gumatapura, Karnataka, near the Tamil Nadu border. It is a hyper-local tradition. Furthermore, it is not a general part of Diwali and is celebrated on a very specific day. So, while it’s not widespread, it does occur.
Theological and Ritualistic Significance
Local legend in Gumatapura provides the festival’s mythic origin: the village deity, Beereshwara Swamy (a manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva), was born from cow dung. However, another origin story also exists, which says that the buried remains of a saint living in that village turned into a “Shiv Ling” and the lingam was covered in Cow Dung when it was first found, hence the cow dung Festival.
The ritual itself consists of:
- Collection: Villagers collect cow dung from all cow-owning homes.
- Consecration: The dung is transported on trolleys to the Beereshwara Swamy temple, where a priest performs a puja (blessing ritual). Allegedly, this act formally consecrates the material, transforming it from mere dung into a blessed offering.
- The “Battle”: Only after this blessing is the dung dumped into an open area. The villagers then playfully throw and smear the consecrated dung on each other.
- Purification: After the event, all participants bathe in the local temple tank to purify themselves, concluding the festival.
How is Tyler Oliveira Involved
After Oliveira teased the video, it was instantly met with a lot of negative feedback. Mainly because of the tone of his X post. After the initial teaser sparked outrage, Oliveira posted a lengthy “surrender” message on X (formerly Twitter). He announced the cancellation of the full documentary, stating he “severely underestimated the power of India” and could not “continue fighting this war.” He claimed he was scared for his family’s safety and “never meant to offend.”
Just one day later, in a complete reversal, he released the full 30-minute documentary. He reframed the release as a defiant stand for “free speech,” stating, “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BELIEVES IN FREE SPEECH!!! WE DO NOT BOW DOWN TO DOXXERS! WE DO NOT BOW DOWN TO DEATH THREATS!” Critics perceived this 24-hour reversal as a calculated promotional tactic to weaponize the controversy and maximize viewership.
What Oliveira Faced: The Backlash
The consequences of Oliveira’s teaser and subsequent documentary were immediate and severe, escalating in distinct phases.
The initial “massive backlash” consisted of online criticism from thousands of Indian users. They accused Oliveira of:
- Disrespect: Calling the video “offensive and disrespectful” to their faith and culture.
- Mockery: Accusing him of “mocking Indian culture” for shock value and profit, especially by using the hazmat suit.
- Misrepresentation: Condemning his failure to explain the local context, thereby smearing the entire nation of 1.5 billion people by presenting a single-village ritual as “India’s Poop-Throwing Festival.”
However, in the video posted on 10 November 2025, he did explicitly mention the local context during the shoot.
- Racism: Many users labeled the portrayal as having “racist undertones” and being part of a “planned smear campaign” to defame India.
Escalation to Severe Harassment
This wave of criticism quickly spiraled into targeted, personal harassment. Oliveira publicly stated that he was “doxxed,” meaning his private, personal information (such as his address) was published online.
Following the doxxing, he reported receiving “thousands” of threats, including explicit death threats directed at him. He stated that the harassment campaign extended to his relatives, claiming that people “also targeted his family.” In his “surrender” post, Oliveira described this experience as turning his life “into a living hell” and the reason he “must choose my battles.” This severe, harassing, and criminal response became a central part of the story, which Oliveira then used to justify his documentary’s final release.
Similar Rituals in Context
A key piece of context is that while Gorehabba is hyper-local, it is not the only cow dung-throwing ritual in India. However, these other rituals are also local and have their own distinct origins.
The most famous comparison is the “Pidakala War” (or ‘Pidakala Samaram’) in Kairuppala village, Andhra Pradesh.
- Different Timing: This festival is celebrated the day after Ugadi (the Telugu New Year in March/April), not Diwali.
- Different Myth: Its theology is completely different. It does not celebrate a god’s birth from dung. Instead, it re-enacts a mythological marital dispute between the god Virabhadra (a form of Shiva) and the goddess Bhadrakali. According to legend, their supporters threw cow dung cakes at each other before the wedding was finally agreed upon.
- Different Structure: Unlike Gorehabba’s communal celebration, the Pidakala War is a structured, ritual re-enactment of this conflict. The village splits into two defined factions (representing the two deities) who fight.
This comparison demonstrates that these are not monolithic “poop festivals.” They are distinct, local folk traditions, each with its own unique theology, history, and social function.
The Take Away
Mr. Oliveira, in his documentary, showed how “Gorehabba” transpired on the ground, showing the behind the scenes preparation leading up to the event. He also clarified in the video itself, that this event is celebrated in this one small village of India. He expressed that the villagers were kind, welcoming, and showed amazing hospitality.
The internet outrage was more due to the “ragebait” or “attention catching” title and post rather than the actual coverage. Tyler also shared screenshots of spam calls from Indian numbers, as well as, voice messages he received on WhatsApp that contained obscene language directed towards him and his family. Tyler seemingly remains firm on his stance, choosing to endure the backlash to the chin and ignoring any negative feedback as of now, evident from his X (formerly Twitter) posts.
The Truth Is Always Bitter
Reality is often disappointing and dull, but once the truth is realized, the vibrance is unmatched. All rituals, including the one such as these, hold no spiritual value according to the scriptures. What does hold value is the true worship provided by the Tatvadarshi Saint as mentioned in the Holy Gita. Tyler Oliveira’s situation is on par with the course, when it comes to talking about controversial topics like religion and other abnormal rituals. Such is the case of Sant Rampalji Maharaj. Sant Rampalji Maharaj showed what truth lied within the Holy books and faced worse.
He showed in the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ that those who worship the three gunas act like rakshasas: तीनों देवताओं की भक्ति करने वाले राक्षस स्वभाव को धारण किए हुए मनुष्यों में नीच, दूषित कर्म करने वाले मूर्ख हैं – Sant Rampal Ji.
He also showed the reality behind all rituals that were created by humans and had no footing in the worship of God :- शास्त्र विधि विरुद्ध साधना पतन का कारण – Jagat Guru Rampal Ji.
And for his acts of giving light to the Truth, He got hate from the misguided people of the time.
But, a Saint is defined through his work rather than his title, and in 2025 when massive floods hit North India, He became the one and only saviour to hundreds of Villages. ]
Documented in hundreds of videos on the SA News Channel, where He provided lakhs of feet of drainage pipes, hundreds of motors and other supplies to relieve drowning villages, through his “Annapurna Muhim”. Which led to the same people who hated him, open their eyes and see the reality and realize the truth that lies within these holy texts and finally understand that the one true God is Kabir.
FAQs:-
1) What event from India did Tyler Oliveira film and broadcast?
Ans:- Tyler Oliveira filmed the Gorehabba festival in Gumatapura, a local ritual where participants throw consecrated cow dung, which was titled “Inside India’s Poop-Throwing Festival.”
2) What was the public response to Tyler Oliveira’s content on the Gorehabba festival?
Ans:- He faced a massive online backlash, including accusations of cultural misrepresentation, which escalated into a severe harassment campaign involving doxxing and death threats.
3) Was Tyler Oliveira Doxxed?
Ans:- Yes, he reported on X(formerly Twitter) that he was “doxxed,” meaning his private, personal information was published online as part of the harassment he received.
4) Did Tyler Oliveira release his full documentary on the festival?
Ans:- Yes, after initially “canceling” the documentary due to the backlash, he released the full 30-minute video a day later.
5) Did Tyler Oliveira give racist remarks towards Indians?
Ans:- In the final published video, he showed great respect towards the village and the villagers, even though he was uncomfortable with the event itself.
