ASI Guide At Kailasa Temple Sparks Outrage After Saying Maa Parvati ‘Was Characterless,’ Triggers Backlash

The magnificent Kailasa Temple at Ellora, a gigantic UNESCO World Heritage site, and an awe-inspiring example of monolithic rock-cut architecture are presently entangled in a very alarming scandal.

Numerous sources have come forth claiming that a guide working under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has, for almost fifty years, been making extremely unkind and inappropriate remarks about respected personalities and followers of Hinduism by taking advantage of his position. 

More precisely, the guide is said to have publicly called Mother Parvati ‘characterless’ in his narration, wrongly saying that Ravana was just an enemy of Shiva, and throwing insults at Hindu tourists who object to his lies and disrespectful remarks.

Institutional Negligence and Public Outcry

The institutional negligence alleged is the most incriminating thing about this whole affair. For more than 50 years, the guide has apparently acted as if he had no authority, passing on the wrong information and showing the least regard to the very religion whose culture he is receiving a salary to explain.

Despite the fact that there have been many complaints both verbally and in writing over the years, the ASI the organization that is responsible for the protection and preservation of India’s archaeological sites and artifacts has been said to have taken no action whatsoever.

The inaction of the ASI turns the alleged guide’s singular wrongdoing into a large-scale failure of the system, thereby questioning very much the accountability, the supervision, and the cultural and religious sentiments of the public that the heritage institutions are committed to.

This long-term negligence leads to a site that is meant for Bhagwan Shiva losing its sanctity, the negative narrative gaining strength over the one of reverence and historical truth.

Distortion of Hindu Mythology and Heritage

The commentary of the guide does not only touch upon historical inaccuracies but also goes a step further to represent a conscious twist of Hindu mythology and heritage. In the classical Puranic texts, Maa Parvati is the Adi Parashakti, the divine consort of Shiva and the personification of power and love.

To brutalize her with a term like “characterless” is to inflict a cultural wound of great depth. Quite the same, while Ravana infamously had Mount Kailash on his shoulder, he was just as much a Bhakta (devotee) of Shiva, a point vividly demonstrated in the temple’s own iconic Ravananugraha relief sculpture.

The guiding wrongly labeling Ravana as a mere enemy fundamentally misrepresents one of the most renowned sculptural panels at the site. The alleged mistreatment of protesting visitors that was at the core of silencing the voices that maintain the true tradition, has created disappointment among the ones who visit the temple with the hope of spiritual and cultural enrichment.

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