Old video of Durga Puja Pandal of Kolkata resurfaces again linking to Ram temple in Ayodhya

The video shows the 2023 Durga Puja pandal at Santosh Mitra Square in Kolkata, not the Ayodhya Ram Temple. It was built on the model of the Ram Temple.

The consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya took place on 22 January with Prime Minister Narendra Modi performing the rituals. Amidst this, a video of a huge crowd gathering near an illuminated temple is being shared on social media with the claim of a night-time view of the Ayodhya Ram Temple.

The caption of the video states, “First time yesterday night electric connection was given and tested at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir”.  

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Fact Check- 

We started our investigation by running a Google reverse image search, whose result led us to a video on a YouTube channel uploaded on 21 October 2023.  The information has been given that this Ram temple design of Ayodhya has been made in Kolkata. It was built on the model of the Ram Mandir in Kolkata for Durga Puja in 2023.

In further search we found many news reports and YouTube pages carrying the same video. One such report by the  Hindustan Times on 18 October carried the screen grab of the video and revealed that it was taken at the Durga Puja Mandap in Santosh Mitra Square in Kolkata.

Apart from this, we found the viral video on a Facebook page. The user posted a video of the Durga Puja pandal from an angle that matches the scenes seen in the viral video.

According to other media reports, in this year’s Durga Puja celebrations, Santosh Mitra Square Puja Committee of Kolkata constructed a Durga Puja pandal on the lines of the Ram temple under construction in Ayodhya. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had inaugurated the Durga Puja pandal built on the lines of Ram Temple in Kolkata on 16 October. 

Conclusion- 

Fact Crescendo found that the viral claim made along with the video is to be False. The video does not show the illuminated night view of the Ayodhya Ram Temple. The video shows the 2023 Durga Puja pandal at Santosh Mitra Square in Kolkata, not the Ayodhya Ram Temple. It was built on the model of the Ram Temple.