DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A video is being shared on X with a claim that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra got possession of the Hindu temple — Sri Sitaram Mandir — in Wayanad, Kerala and registered it as that of Muslims four years ago. It further urged people to vote for BJP only.
The context isIndia’s general elections being held from April 19, 2024, to June 1, 2024. On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, the third phase is being held. The claim with the video was posted on April 26, 2024 when the second phase of polling was held in Wayanad, from where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested for the Lok Sabha seat. It was repeated again May 1, 2024.
The claim in Hindi reads: “केरल के वायनाड में राहुल गांधी और प्रियंका वाड्राइन ने चार साल पहले हिंदुओं के बड़े मंदिर श्रीसीताराम मंदिर पर मुसलमानों का कब्जा रजिस्टर्ड करा दिया था
अब तो कांग्रेसी ब्राह्मण क्षत्रिय बहुत खुश हो चुके होंगे [Translated, it reads:In Wayanad, Kerala, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra had got the possession of the big Hindu temple Sri Sitaram Mandir registered as that of Muslims four years ago. Now the Congress Brahmins and Kshatriyas must be very happy. Everybody should vote for BJP only.]
केरल के वायनाड में राहुल गांधी और प्रियंका वाड्राइन ने चार साल पहले हिंदुओं के बड़े मंदिर श्रीसीताराम मंदिर पर मुसलमानों का कब्जा रजिस्टर्ड करा दिया था
अब तो कांग्रेसी ब्राह्मण क्षत्रिय बहुत खुश हो चुके होंगे 😭😭
सब लोग भाजपा को ही वोट दें 🙏@INCIndia pic.twitter.com/baD3Zum86U— Dushyant Sharma – 100% Follow Back (@dushyantindia02) May 1, 2024
In another X post, it was claimed that the temple was a chicken shop which was inaugurated by Rahul Gandhi.
केरल के वायनाड में राहुल गांधी और प्रियंका वाड्राइन ने चार साल पहले हिंदुओं के बड़े मंदिर श्रीसीताराम मंदिर पर मुसलमानों का कब्जा रजिस्टर्ड करा दिया था
अब तो कांग्रेसी ब्राह्मण क्षत्रिय बहुत खुश हो चुके होंगे
सब लोग भाजपा को ही वोट दें 🙏@INCIndia @SupriyaShrinate pic.twitter.com/67AD0aftWI— Swami Ramsarnacharya Pandey, मेलकोटे पीठाधीश्वर (@SwamiRamsarnac4) April 30, 2024
The video showed a temple-like structure with a shop selling chicken. The voiceover can be heard in which it’s said:“Friends, this is the Sita Ram temple, and beneath it lies a chicken shop.”
FACT CHECK
When Digiteye India received a request on its WhatsApp tipline, first we checked the key image using the Google Reverse Image Search that led us to a viral video on YouTube uploaded by a channel — Makhan Ram jaipal Vlogs on August 25, 2023, with the caption “Seeta Ram Mandir Became chicken shop after partition|| Condition of Mandir In Pakistan.”
This has established the fact that the mandir structure is not in India (Wayanad) as claimed. We further searched and found that the same video was uploaded on Instagram here.
The google search revealed that the historic Hindu temple was located in Ahmedpur Sial, Pakistan was desecrated and converted into a chicken shop. When reported about its condition in 2023, it raised concerns on social media as seen below:
The reported conversion of Sita Ram Mandir in Ahmadpur Sial, Pakistan, into a chicken shop is deeply distressing. This incident reflects a broader issue of plight of minorities in Pakistan, where not only their lives but also their places of worship are under attack!@TrulyMonica pic.twitter.com/iwFGee1gR1
— Komal Mahajan (@KomalMahajan_) December 14, 2023
Hence, the claim that a temple was converted to a chicken shop in Wayanad, Kerala is false.
Claim: The Sita Ram temple in Wayanad, Kerala has a chicken shop, which has been inaugurated by Rahul Gandhi.
Conclusion: The claim is false. The video depicts the condition of a historic Hindu temple in Pakistan that has been desecrated and converted into a chicken shop.
Rating: Misrepresentation — 
