By Srijit Das
A video showing metal bells with garlands around them being loaded onto a truck has surfaced online, falsely claiming that these bells were crafted by state-owned company Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Tiruchirappalli for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
BOOM found the claim to be false. We reached out to BHEL Tiruchirappalli which confirmed that the company did not produce bells for the yet-to-be-inaugurated Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh.
Following decades of legal disputes, Ram Mandir will officially be opened for the devotees after its inauguration on January 22, 2024. The grand consecration ceremony will be attended by various prominent figures nationwide, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. As per the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust, the three-story Ram temple is constructed in the traditional Nagara style, with each floor standing at a height of 20 feet.
The video is being shared with a caption, "BHEL Trichy has made these bells for Ayodhya temple being despatched".
Click here to view the post.
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Fact Check
BOOM first ran a keyword search to find reliable news sources mentioning Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Tiruchirappalli's involvement in crafting bells for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. However, we did not come across any such reports.
Following that, we contacted a spokesperson from BHEL Tiruchirappalli to verify the claim. Balaji denied the claim, confirming that BHEL Tiruchirappalli had not manufactured the bells for the temple.
The spokesperson told BOOM, "This news is fake. BHEL Tiruchirappalli did not produce the bells for the Ayodhya Ram Temple."
When we conducted a search on YouTube using related keywords, we found a news report by Mojo Story that featured the same visuals, published on December 25, 2023.
The report titled 'Tamil Nadu To Ayodhya' described the video as, "On Sunday, a shipment of 42 bells, each weighing between 2 to 2.5 tons, was dispatched from Tamil Nadu to Ayodhya's Ram Temple. Accompanying these substantial bells were numerous smaller ones specifically intended for worship. Before the bells made their journey to the Ram Temple, priests performed ceremonial worship, adhering to traditional rituals. The air resonated with enthusiastic chants of "Jai Shri Ram" as people eagerly anticipated the installation of the Tamil Nadu bells in the temple."
Additionally, we came across several other news articles reporting about the production of 42 bells in Tamil Nadu intended for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The Hindu reported on December 15, 2023, stating, "A devotee from Bengaluru, Rajendra Prasad (69), had given orders for manufacturing 48 bells at an unit, Andal Moulding Works, on Mohanur Road in Namakkal district, last month for installing in the temple. Of the total, 42 bells weighing 1,200 kg was completed and, after a special puja at the Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple in the afternoon, sent to Bengaluru."
The report also cited R. Rajendran, the proprietor of Andal Moulding Works, who stated that Prasad supplied all the materials—silver, copper, and bronze—for crafting the bells. Rajendran added that it took 20 workers a month to produce the 42 bells, and that they are currently in the process of making other 6 bells.
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