India's Poop Throwing Festival Documentary Is Released by Tyler Oliveira
American YouTuber named Tyler Oliveira on X uploaded a 29-minute documentary on November 9 detailing his immersion in Karnataka’s Gorehabba festival, an annual Hindu observance where participants sling cow dung balls in tribute to the god Beereshwara Swamy.
Gorehabba unfolds each year in Gummatapura village, located along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, one day following the Diwali rite of Balipadyami. Records place the custom’s beginnings over 100 years ago, rooted in agrarian practices that revere cows as sacred providers.
Before the throws commence, residents gather at Beereshwara Temple for invocations, then amass fresh cow dung from neighborhood herds into ammunition stockpiles.
The ensuing melee coats revelers head to toe, a gesture locals attribute to invoking prosperity, repelling misfortune, and strengthening village ties through collective abandon.
Oliveira arrived equipped with a hazmat suit and protective eyewear, positioning his camera amid the splatter. His account opens with the scene’s scale:
“That’s me inside a poop throwing festival in India where the villagers spend 6 months collecting cow poop and celebrate the end of Diwali by throwing it at each other and rubbing it on their skin.”
As volleys intensify, he calls out, “The battle has begun. Oh my god. My goodness.” The air thickens with the scent, prompting Oliveira to remark, “The smell in here is inexplicable.” He notes the participants’ delight:
“They love it. They love throwing the poop. This is all cow poop right here. Huge. It’s huge.”
A preview segment Oliveira shared on October 25 drew more than five million views across platforms, fueling charges that the portrayal demeaned a revered rite. 21 Commenters assailed the work as derogatory, with one stating, “This is so stupid. Don’t be racist.”
Another wrote, “Stop milking India, man.” And the uproar escalated into coordinated doxxing campaigns and menacing messages directed at Oliveira and his relatives.
Four days before the premiere, Oliveira declared the project shelved. “After much consideration, I have decided I will NOT be releasing my documentary capturing India’s poop-throwing festival… I have been doxxed and threatened by thousands of Indians over the last 2 weeks… Tens of thousands of Indians have turned my life into a living hell. My family has been attacked in ways I never could have imagined. Showing up to this poop-festival was the worst decision of my life, and I severely underestimated the power of India… I am only one man… I cannot defeat the combined power of 1.5 billion Indians who yearn for my destruction. I simply cannot continue fighting this war, and must choose my battles. This one simply isn’t worth it. I never meant to offend Indians, their religion, or their culture and only wanted to participate in this unusual poop-throwing festival and share it for the world to see. I ask that all Indians reading this please leave my family alone. Thank you.”
However it was just a leg pulling by this YouTuber just to get more attention before he actually release the documentary.
Oliveira retracted the notice hours into November 9, branding it a feint and launching the edit. “SIKE. India-poop throwing festival out now! 🇮🇳 💩 ***… You can doxx, threaten, harass, or k*** me, and I’ll still keep going. I AM UNSTOPPABLE. I WILL NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR THE TRUTH.” The upload, titled “Inside India’s Poop-Throwing Festival! 🇮🇳💩 - FULL DOCUMENTARY,” racked up two million views by the next day.
Reports soon flagged the material, imposing age gates on X. Oliveira alerted followers by posting that the “India Poop-Throwing Festival Documentary AGE RESTRICTED on X due to mass reporting. Please tag @nikitabier to help with mass reporting censorship 🙏🏻.” 30 He amplified the standoff in all-caps:
“THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BELIEVES IN FREE SPEECH!!! 🇺🇸 WE DO NOT BOW DOWN TO DOXXERS!… WE BELIEVE IN FILMING POOP-THROWING FESTIVALS IN 4K! WE DO NOT NEGOTIATE ***… WE ARE AMERICANS!!! 🦅 🇺🇸.”
The film carries notes affirming its instructional aim, underscoring the observance’s niche status within Hinduism and urging viewers to withhold judgment.
Oliveira has stood by the approach: “It isn’t racist to film a poop-throwing festival.”
Villagers prepare the dung in dedicated pits, a process tied to beliefs in its purifying qualities against ailments and discord.
The 2025 iteration unfolded October 23, drawing Oliveira’s crew to record the temple-led procession into frenzied exchange.
Oliveira’s lens catches a direct hit:
“I’m sinking. I’m sinking. I’m going to die today. They’re going to kill me. I got to get out of here.”
He emerges coated, capturing the rite’s unyielding grip on local life.
