The construction work at the much-awaited grand Hindu Temple in Ayodhya, Ram Mandir, is nearing its completion and is expected to be open to the public in early 2024. The temple is a significant symbol of the Hindu community and religious identity in India and has garnered much social media buzz.

Here, we shed light on viral misleading posts linking the Ram Mandir to Buddhist relics which were temporarily sent to India. Let’s look at the claim first.

Social Media Posts

A viral video claims that the stone on which ‘Maa Sita’ used to sit while she was held captive in Ashoka Vatika, Sri Lanka, had been sent to Ayodhya by the Sri Lankan Government to be installed in the newly constructed Ram Temple.

The video shows Buddhist monks, Sri Lankan politicians and officials, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and BJP leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kiren Rijiju.

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Fact Check:

Event Verification:

Our investigation found that the viral video is unrelated to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The footage corresponds to an occasion where relics related to Buddhism were transported from Sri Lanka to India. The relics were intended for an exhibition as part of the ceremonial opening of Kushinagar Airport in October 2021.

Origin of the Relics and Links to Buddhism

The relics carried by the Buddhist monks in the video belong to a temple in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka. Reports from Sri Lankan and Indian media, as well as social media posts from the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, confirm that these were sacred Kapilavastu relics of Waskaduwa associated with Buddhism.

Therefore, contrary to the claim, the objects carried by the Buddhist monks are not a seat of ‘Maa Sita’ but relic caskets associated with Buddhism.

Ada Derana Video Report : (Sinhala)

Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka

Buddhist Relics Were Returned to Sri Lanka After six days.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the relics were returned to Sri Lanka a few days after the ceremony in October 2021. The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka Tweeted that after a 6-day, multi-city exposition in India, the Kapilawasthu relics were returned to Sri Lanka.

An article done by the Fact Crescendo Hindi team about similar posts going viral in Hindi can be read here.

A Stone from the Sita Eliya Area Was Gifted to Ram Mandir

However, a stone from Sita Eliya, where Sita was believed to have been held captive by Ravana, was, in fact, used in the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. This news was shared around the same time when the Buddhist relics were temporarily sent to India in 2021, which probably led to confusion.

In October 2021, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, donated a 'shila' (stone) from the Ashok Vatika in Sri Lanka to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, as conveyed by Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra.

According to Hindu mythology Ramayana, Lankan King Ravana abducts Sita, wife of Rama, and returns to his kingdom, present-day Sri Lanka. However, Sita refuses to stay in Ravana's palace and instead stays in a place called Ashok Vatika, which is believed to be around the current Haggala Botanical Gardens near the Sita Eliya area in Sri Lanka.

Finally, Fact Crescendo contacted the Ram temple being built in Ayodhya for clarification regarding the viral video, an employee of the Ram Mandir Trust told us that the object seen in the hand of the Buddhist monk in the viral video is not a rock or any stone from Ashok Vatika.

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Conclusion:

The viral video falsely claims a stone associated with 'Maa Sita' from Ashok Vatika is being transported from Sri Lanka to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. The video documents an unrelated occasion where Buddhist relics were temporarily sent to India, mainly for the ceremonial opening of Kushinagar Airport in October 2021.

However, around the same time, in October 2021, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda, donated a 'shila' (stone) from the Ashok Vatika in Sri Lanka to the Ram Temple.

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Title:Footage of Buddhist Relics Temporarily Sent to India for the Inauguration of Kushinagar Airport, shared Alongside a Misleading Narrative!

Written By: Kalana Krishantha

Result: Misleading

Kamal Haasan