By Shrey Banerjee
A video from Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is being shared with the false claim that it shows 25,000 'Havan Kunds' at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya before the before the consecration ceremony slated later this month.
BOOM found that the viral video is from Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi and the 'Havan Kunds' (a sacred fire pit in Hinduism), were setup for the inauguration ceremony that was organised by Vihangam Yoga and was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18th December, 2023
The consecration ceremony for Ayodhya's Ram Mandir is set to be held on January 22, 2024, with several prominent people invited for the ceremony including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The Ram Janmabhoomi Trust is organising the ceremony and has reportedly invited more than 2,500 eminent dignitaries.
The 13 seconds video is being shared on Facebook with the caption when translated reads, "These 25,000 'Havan Kunds' will be used for the inauguration ceremony in Ayodhya's Ram Mandir".
Click here to view
The same video is also being shared on X (Formerly known as Twitter) with the caption when translated reads, "The temple of Lord Shri Ram will be inaugurated with 25000 Havan Kund. What a supernatural sight it will be. What a lovely moment that will be. Jai Shri Ram"
The viral video was also posted on YouTube by Marathi news outlet TV9 Marathi with the false claim.
To view an archive of the video, click here.
Fact Check
BOOM found that the viral video is from Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, and not from Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh as being claimed on social media. The 'havan kunds' seen in the viral video were setup for the Swarved Mahamandir's inauguration which was held on December 18, 2023.
BOOM found a comment posted below the YouTube video uploaded by TV9 Marathi on their YouTube channel which stated that the video was not from Ram Mandir, Ayodhya.
The comment read, "This photo is from 25000 hawan which was created on Vihangam Yoga Shatabdi Varshik Mahotsav program on 18th December 2023 in Umrah, Varasani. The flag/dhwaja is proof of the same....."
Taking a cue from this, we ran a keyword search and found a video blog posted on December 18, 2023, by the YouTube channel India Tour Masti. The video mentioned details about the inauguration ceremony of Swarved Mahamandir. We found that the visuals elements in this video are the same as in the viral video.
To watch this video, click here.
BOOM reached out to the YouTube channel, who also confirmed that the video footage was shot at Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi.
We also found another video blog on YouTube that had the same visuals from the Swarved Mahamandir inauguration ceremony where the 'havan kunds' can be seen.
To watch the video, click here.
The flags and structures in this video are the same, that are seen in the viral video, which establishes it is from the same location
On checking Swarved Mahamandir's website, we found that their logo was as the one seen on the flags in the video. Swarved Mahamandir's website mentions details about the inauguration ceremony and also states that 25,000 kunds were setup for the occasion.
We also found a PIB report mentioning that this inauguration event of Swarved Mahamandir was attended and addressed by PM Narendra Modi. It also mentions about the 25,000 'Havan Kunds' that took place at the site.
A live video from PM Modi's official Youtube handle contained his address to the audience at the inauguration ceremony at Swarved Mahamandir.
BOOM then reached out to Swarved Mahamandir's Social Media Convenor Rajesh Sahay who confirmed to BOOM that the viral video is from the inauguration site.
"Yes these visuals are from Swarved Mahamandir. This ceremony was organised by Vihangam Yoga and was attended by PM Modi himself on 18th December, 2023. However, this event and visuals are not related to Ayodhya's Ram Mandir," Sahay told BOOM.
"On this auspicious occasion, 25,000 havan kunds were created for a religious ceremony where uncountable people took part. On this day, PM Narendra Modi was present and addressed the audience. Also, the flags in the video contain the logo of Vihangam Yoga. This is a spiritual centre where thousands of people can simultaneously indugle in spiritual and meditation activities. This is an initiative of Vihangam Yoga and was started in 2004." Sahay further added.
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