This Video Doesn’t Show a Temple Converted Into a Meat Shop in Kerala’s Wayanad

The video is unrelated to India or Kerala and is being shared with a false communal angle.

A video is being shared to claim that it shows a temple that was converted into a meat shop in Kerala's Wayanad, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi served as the Member of Parliament (MP).

What have users said?: People have shared this video with a caption that loosely translates to, "In Wayanad, Kerala, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra had taken the possession of big Hindu temple Sri Sitaram Mandir and got it registered for Muslims four years ago. Now the Congress Brahmins and Kshatriyas must be very happy. Everybody should vote for BJP only."

The post had garnered around 89 thousand views on the platform. (Archives of similar claims can be accessed here, here, and here.)

Are these claims true?: The video is being falsely linked to India and 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. It is actually from Pakistan, where a historical temple was converted into a chicken shop.

How did we find that out?: Using keywords such as "Sita Ram temple chicken shop" on YouTube, we found a video uploaded on an unverified channel named 'MyNation'.

• The video, which showed similar visuals of the temple, was uploaded on 16 December 2023 and was titled, "Conversion of Sita-Ram temple in Pakistan's Ahmadpur Sial to chicken shop sparks outrage."

• While showing visuals of the chicken shop inside the temple, it said that the video highlights the plight of minorities in the country.

• Team WebQoof further found a vlog recorded by a YouTube user, which showed visuals from inside and outside the temple. One could also seen chickens kept in boxes.

• The video was published on 25 August 2023.

News reports: A report published in Asianet Newsable said that the conversion of the historical Sita-Ram temple in Ahmadpur Sial has caused massive outrage. The temple, which has a great historical significance was built over a century ago.

About the temple: A Pakistani newspaper named The Friday Times had highlighted the historical and cultural significance of the temple in one of their pieces.

• It said that the temple is located in the Jhang district and is one of the landmarks in architecture from the 19th century. However, it is now on the verge of collapse due to decades of neglect.

• The report said that the building of the temple was leased up for a snooker club.

Comparing visuals: On comparing keyframes from the viral video to visuals of the temple available on Google Maps, we found that both of them show the same temple.

Conclusion: It is clear that a unrelated video is being shared to falsely claim that a temple was converted into a chicken shop in Kerala's Wayanad.

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