The city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh is all set to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi, religious leaders and other dignitaries for the foundation stone laying ceremony of the proposed Ram Mandir, on Wednesday. As expected, the historic event has triggered a wave of fake news on social media and WhatsApp in the lead-up to the ceremony.
Here are the top 7 fake news stories surrounding the Ram Mandir bhumi pujan ceremony:
1. Image Of Hindu Deity Ram On Billboards In Times Square Is Photoshopped
A viral photo of Times Square showing pictures of Hindu deity Ram on billboards is doing the rounds of social media with a caption that claims it has been done in anticipation of the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. BOOM found that the image was made with billboard generator website. However, Times Square will showcase images of Ram and 3D portraits of the model of the Ram Temple on August 5. Click here to read the story.
2. Video From Hyderabad Temple Viral With Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan Twist
A 90 second video from the Vaikunth Ekadashi ceremony held at Ranganathaswamy Temple, Hyderabad in January 2020 was viral with the caption that these ornate decorations were a part of the preparations of Ram Mandir bhumi pujan. However, BOOM spoke to one of the priests at Ranganathaswamy temple who confirmed that this video was for their Vaikunth Ekadashi ceremony that was held on January 5,2020. Click here to read the full story.
3. 6-Year Old 3D Animation Video Peddled As Ram Mandir Blueprint
An old 3D animation video of a Jain temple made by KEMS Studio, Mumbai was being passed off as the design for the upcoming structure of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. BOOM spoke to the creators of the 3D video who confirmed that the clip is not a blueprint of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and is actually a 3D animation of a Jain temple in Andhra Pradesh produced by them in 2014. Click here to read the full story.
4. 2018 Video Of Dhol Tasha Performance Peddled As Ram Mandir Celebration
A 2018 video of the Dhol Tasha group performing on a street in Spain, is being shared falsely with the claim that it is a recent video of Indians abroad celebrating the upcoming construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. BOOM contacted Prasad Pimpale, founder of Swargandhar Dhol Tasha group, who said the video was from June 2018, when the group had actually gone to Spain to perform at an international event. Click here to read the full story.
5. Photos Of ISKCON Temple Viral As Proposed Ram Temple In Ayodhya
Edited photos of the Vedic Planetarium and temple at the ISKCON headquarters in Mayapur, West Bengal were doing the rounds as the proposed Ram Mandir. BOOM found a documentary on the Vedic temple which showed the exact same structure and compared stills of the structure with the viral photo. Click here to read the full story.
6. Claims Of Ayodhya Being Painted Saffron Ahead Of August 5 Are False
A set of four images being painted saffron with murals of Hindu Gods is being shared on social media falsely claiming them to be from Ayodhya which is gearing up for foundation laying ceremony of Ram Temple. BOOM found that three images are actually from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and not Ayodhya, while one image is a photo by an AFP photographer that was clicked for the Kumbh Mela in 2018. Click here to read the full story.
7. 2017 Stamps Depicting Chronicles Of Ramayana Shared As Recent
An image of a set of commemorative postage stamps featuring pictorial representation of episodes from the Ramayana is doing the rounds on social media with misleading claims that they were released recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However BOOM found that India Post had released a miniature sheet of Ramayan which consisted of 11 special postage stamps depicting important instances back in 2017. Click here for the full story.