Influencer Cuts Birthday Cake In Varanasi Temple; Faces Backlash

A recent video of influencer and model Mamta Rai celebrating her birthday inside the Kaal Bahira temple in Varanasi has gone viral. The video shows her performing rituals, cutting a cake, and even offering a slice to the deity. This act has left devotees and religious leaders divided, with some criticizing the act and others defending it.

Devotees Express Outrage

Many devotees have expressed anger over the incident, saying that it disrespected traditional customs. Religious leaders have also joined the debate. Ram Narayan Dwivedi, General Secretary of the Kashi Vidwat Parishad, said that cutting a cake is not part of Vedic traditions. “One should seek blessings from the almighty on their birthday. Blowing candles and cutting a cake inside temples, like in the video, is not okay."

Temple Priest Defends the Act

Surprisingly, the temple's chief priest, Naveen Giri, had a different take. He explained that offering cake to the deity is not new at the Kaal Bahira temple. “She told us that she wanted to offer cake to the deity. It was nothing new, people do offer cake here at the temple. Like everyone, she also cut her cake here and offered it."

However, he added that the temple administration was unaware of her intentions to promote the occasion as a birthday party. To avoid future conflicts, the temple has banned cake-cutting practices.

How can someone be allowed to cut cake inside a temple? Ordinary devotees aren't even allowed to stop there even for 30 seconds....

This is really shameful.... More than these Reelbaaz, temple managements are responsible for reducing our temples into a joke... pic.twitter.com/dKfbWZ0rcl

— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) November 30, 2024

Legal Action on the Horizon

The Kashi Vidwat Parishad strongly opposes this modern practice. The religious body plans to send a legal notice to the influencer and has requested the chief minister to intervene. Dwivedi stated, “This kind of behavior doesn't align with our traditions. We will ensure such activities stop.”