Sri Lankan government is not returning the stone of Ashok Vatika to install in the Ram temple.

The viral video is of the year 2021 when the holy relics of Lord Buddha reached India for exhibition, which is being said to be the stone sitting in the Ashok Vatika of Mata Sita in the name of being installed in the Ayodhya Ram temple.

The construction work of Ram temple in Ayodhya is in its final stages. Now the work of decorating and beautifying the temple is being completed. Meanwhile, there are many viral posts linking it to Ram temple, which are being shared with fake claims. Amidst this, a video showing some Buddhist monks getting down from Sri Lanka Airlines with an object in their hands to meet Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is widely circulating on social media. We can also see BJP leaders such as Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kiren Rijiju standing with CM Adityanath. Users claim that Sri Lanka government has returned a stone from Ashok Vatika where Sita mata had sat in Sri Lanka according to the Ramayan. It is also being claimed that the stone will be installed in the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

“The stone on which Mother Sita ji used to sit in Ashok Vatika in Sri Lanka has been sent by the Sri Lankan government to India by its aeroplane. It has been told that this stone will be installed in the new Ram temple being built at the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. Yogi Adityanath himself reached the airport to collect this stone. Watch and listen in the 3 minute 34 second video. This stone must have seen and felt the mountain-like sorrow of Mother Sita most closely.”

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Fact Check-

We used keywords on Google to search for viral videos, resulting in a tweet by BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. This tweet was published on 20 October 2021 shows that a Sri Lankan plane had arrived at Kushinagar International Airport carrying a delegation of Buddhist monks and the government from Sri Lanka who was welcomed by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other ministers. The tweet contains several images and videos of this incident.

कुशीनगर अंतरराष्ट्रीय एयरपोर्ट पर श्रीलंका से बौद्ध भिक्षु और वहाँ की सरकार के प्रतिनिधिमण्डल को लेकर पहली उड़ान के पहुंचने पर मुख्यमंत्री श्री @myogiadityanath जी व साथी मंत्रीगण के साथ आगंतुक अतिथियों का स्वागत किया। @M_Lekhi @kishanreddybjp @KirenRijiju @arjunrammeghwal pic.twitter.com/cOtQ8DPYMs

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (मोदी का परिवार) (@JM_Scindia) October 20, 2021

After this we came across a tweet from BJP leader Kiren Rijiju. According to which, on the occasion of Ashwin Purnima and Abhidhamma Day, the Holy Buddha's relic from Sri Lanka was formally welcomed on its arrival in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, in which Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka and all over the world were also welcomed.

The ceremonial reception on the arrival of the Sacred Buddha Relic from Sri Lanka on the occasion of Ashwin Poornima and Abhidhamma Day at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Also welcomed Buddhists Monks from Sri Lanka and all over the world. pic.twitter.com/6rhzPnFK2y

— Kiren Rijiju (मोदी का परिवार) (@KirenRijiju) October 20, 2021

Moving forward in our investigation, we came across the report published by Economics Times on 19 October 2021. According to the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport, which was an endeavour to connect Buddhist pilgrimage sites around the world and launch various development projects there during his visit to poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. It was an event organized on the occasion of Abhidhamma Day at the Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar before attending a public function to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development projects.

The inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport marked the landing of the inaugural flight at the airport from Colombo, Sri Lanka, carrying the Sri Lankan delegation. According to the officials, “The highlight of the event is the Exposition of Holy Buddha Relic being brought from Waskaduwa Sri Subuddhi Rajvihara Temple, Sri Lanka, by the Mahanayake of the temple. They will also be opened to the public for veneration.” A separate seat was kept in the airplane for these holy Buddha relics which reached India.

We also saw similar reports published in Mathrubhoomi, and TV9 Bharatvarsh.

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. He also confirmed to us that no such stone from Ashok Vatika was requested from Sri Lanka by Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. The video is actually of the holy relic of Lord Buddha which was brought from Sri Lanka for exhibition in the year 2021. And it is being shared with the false claim by associating it with the stone of Mata Sita and Ashok Vatika.