This Clip Doesn’t Show People Fighting After Not Getting Share From Donation Box
The video actually shows people participating in a religious ritual in Karnataka.
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A video of a crowd throwing burning torches is being shared on the internet with a claim that it shows a fight that recently broke out after some people did not get a share from the donation box of a temple.
What's the truth?: The video dates back to April 2025 and shows devotees gathered for the Agni Keli fire-throwing ritual held at Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple in Karnataka.
How did we find that out?: We conducted a simple Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral clip and came across the same visuals published on Yahoo News.
The report said that the visuals were from 20 April and showed devotees gathered at the Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple for the Agni Keli fire-throwing ritual in Karnataka.
It further mentioned that the ritual is called Thootedhara and is said to invoke blessings from Goddess Durga.
The report was published on 3 May.
(Source: Yahoo News/Screenshot)
Other news reports: A report published by Hindustan Times said that the festival was held in Mangaluru in the honour of Goddess Durga. It includes people a ritual, where people throw "burning palm fronds" at each other.
The report further mentioned that the ritual is a centuries-old tradition which takes place at the temple.
India Today, too, shared a video report about the ritual on their official YouTube channel. It was posted on 21 April with a title that said, "'Thootedara': A Ritual Where Devotees Play With Fire, Celebrated In Mangaluru's Kateel Temple."
Conclusion: Evidently, the video of people participating in a ritual is being shared on the internet with a misleading context.
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