Actor Urvashi Rautela’s recent claim of having a temple in Uttarakhand named after her has triggered backlash from priests and locals.

According to India Today, in an interview with media personality Siddharth Kannan, the actor claimed that the Urvashi temple, located in Bamni, close to the sacred town of Badrinath, was dedicated to her. She added that many devotees, who had nicknamed her ‘Damdamamai’, visited the temple to pay respects and garland pictures of her. “I am being serious about it. It is true. There are news articles about the same too. You can read them,” she said.

However, this statement incited anger among priests and the town’s locals. Several people even called on the government to take action against the actor for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Local priest Bhuwan Chandra Uniyal, a former religious officer of Badrinath Dham, told India Today that he found Urvashi’s claims “misleading” and criticized her for claiming ownership over the religious site.

“It is not her temple. Such statements are unacceptable, and the government should take strict steps against anyone making such claims,” he told the media outlet.

Amit Sati, President of the Brahma Kapal Teerth Purohit Society, also criticized Urvashi’s remarks, stating that the temple was ancient and could not belong to any individual.