By: Rajeswari Parasa
January 31 2024
Video from Rajasthan shared as donations received by Ram temple in Ayodhya
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Screenshot of the viral claim circulating online. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The viral video is from the Sanwaliya temple in Rajasthan and was captured several days before the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.
Claim ID 2436f27f
What is the claim?
A video circulating on social media purports to show the donations received by the new Ram temple in Ayodhya following the consecration ceremony on January 22, 2024. The 20-second clip depicts several individuals transferring cash from a trunk into smaller baskets.
A user on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted this video with the caption: "The donation box was filled with banknotes within half a day on the very first day at Ram Temple in 'Ayodhya Dham.' ₹3 cr 17 lakh was the collection today. This is called TEMPLE ECONOMY. How many schools and hospitals can be built?"
Archived versions of similar posts can be accessed here, here, and here.
Screenshot of the viral claim circulating online. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, the video is not from Ayodhya but from Rajasthan.
What did we find?
Conducting a reverse image search on a keyframe from the video directed us to a similar video on YouTube, published as a Short. This video, dated January 19, 2024, features a caption in Hindi that translates to: "Chittorgarh Rajasthan's Savariya Seth temple, the richest temple." Additionally, the YouTube video includes a watermark from the Instagram account '@Sanwaliya_seth_1007'.
The account's owner, @Sanwaliya_seth_1007, or Nitin Vaishnav, who identifies as a priest at the Sanwaliya temple in Rajasthan in his bio, uploaded the video to Instagram on January 16, 2024. Accompanying the video was a caption highlighting a 'record collection' of donations received at the temple, amounting to Rs 12 crore and 69 lakh. The Sanwaliya Seth temple, dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Krishna, is situated in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan.
Logically Facts contacted Nandakishor Tailor, the Administrative Officer of the Sanwaliya temple, who confirmed that the video being circulated as Ram temple donations actually depicts the Sanwaliya temple. He explained, "The video was captured at our temple on January 10, 2024, during our monthly ritual of opening the donations box and counting the contributions, a practice we follow every month, a day before the new moon."
Further investigation revealed that the temple is renowned for receiving significant donations from devotees. A February 2021 report by DNA highlighted that large donations are a routine occurrence at the temple.
The verdict
The video depicting the emptying of a donation box at the Sanwaliya temple in Rajasthan has been misrepresented as showcasing donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Consequently, we have marked this claim as false.
