Lighthouse Journalism came across a video being widely shared on social media platforms. It was claimed along with the video, that when the priests didn’t get a share from the donation box, they started fighting among themselves.
During the investigation, we found that the video is of a ritual and does not show a fight among the priests. The viral claim is misleading.
Claim:
X user Surya Raj नागवंशी shared the video with a misleading claim.
Other users are also sharing the same video with a similar claim.
Investigation:
We started the investigation by checking comments on these videos.
A few comments on the videos being shared on social media platforms mentioned that the video was from Durga Parameswari Mandir in Karnataka.
We then ran a keyword search on Google and found a few news reports associated with the ritual.
We found a similar video uploaded on YouTube.
The description mentioned: Every year, the Kateel Shri Durga Parameshwari Temple in Mangaluru, Karnataka, hosts a spectacular, thrilling, and spiritual festival known as Agni Keli.
The ritual is known as ‘Agni Keli’.
We also found a few news reports associated with the ritual.
The description said: The tradition of lighting fire in the Durgapurameshwari temple of Karnataka has been going on for centuries. ‘Agni Keli’ or ‘Thoothedhara’ is an age-old tradition in which devotees play with fire for 8 days at the Durgaparameshwari temple, located about 30 km from Mangalore. Shri Durga Godi is situated in the temple complex.
We found the screenshots in a news report on mathrubhumi.com.
The report mentioned: As part of the ritual, devotees from the neighboring villages of Attur and Kodethoor light dried coconut palm fronds and hurl them at each other in a symbolic battle. The ritual, performed on the eighth day of the temple’s annual festival, draws hundreds of spectators and participants who embrace the fiery celebration with reverence and intensity.
Conclusion: A video of ritual Agni Keli in Karnataka is being shared as temple priests fighting over donations. The viral claim is misleading.
