A video showing hundreds of toilets being constructed is being shared on the internet to claim that it is from Ayodhya and shows sanitary preparation made for those visiting the Ram Temple.
What have users said?: Those sharing the video have said, "Arrangements for visitors to Ayodhya - two rows of open Indian toilets, directly splashing their contents into an open deep trench latrin."
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter
The video had recorded over three lakh views on the platform.
(More archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)
What is the truth?: The video is not from Ayodhya and is being shared with a misleading context. It dates back to December 2023 and shows sanitation arrangements being made before the inauguration of Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
What led us to the truth?: We divided the video into several keyframes using the help of the Google Chrome extension, InVID, and performed a reverse image search on them.
A Google Lens search led us to a video uploaded on an unverified YouTube channel named 'Ankit Promo, ' which carried visuals similar to the viral clip.
It was shared on 13 December 2023. Its description mentioned Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi. The video shows the person talking about different preparations made for the visitors.
He also said that curtains will be wrapped around the bamboo and the toilets would not be open as seen in the video.
Comparing the visuals: A comparison between the viral video and the one uploaded on YouTube showed several similarities. Both the videos showed a narrow trench with pipes and multiple Indian styled-toilets.
Both clips had several similarities.
(Source: YouTube/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
Other videos: We also found another vlog on a YouTube channel named 'AMT YOUTUBER'. The video was shared on 11 December 2023 and its titled when translated to English said, "Swarved Mahamandir Dham Varanasi! Swarveda Mahamandir Dham ready for inauguration."
The person in the video showed different preparations, such as tents, sacred fire pits, and sanitary arrangements, before the inauguration of the temple.
PM Modi inaugurated the temple: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Swarved Mahamandir on 18 December 2023. It is the largest centre of Vihangam Yoga and is spread across over 3,00,000 square feet.
Sanitary preparations for Ram Temple: According to a report published in ETV Bharat, Ayodhya Municipal Corporation will install over 2,000 temporary fiber toilets for devotees. It further mentioned 150 changing rooms will also be made for women.
The report was published on 19 December 2023.
(Source: ETV Bharat/Screenshot)
Conclusion: While we could not verify if these toilets were under construction or were make-shift toilets, it is clear there is no evidence to prove that this video shows sanitary arrangements in Ayodhya.
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