Old Video claims: ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’ Chants at Ram Mandir

Claim

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj holds much importance and presence in contemporary Indian politics. Seen as brave Hindu protector against the tyranny of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, Shivaji is celebrated with much fanfare.

This year on Wed, 19 Feb, 2025, Shivaji Jayanti was commemorated across the country. A video has gone viral on social media celebrating Shivaji Jayanti at Ram Mandir, Ayodhya.

Against the backdrop of towering Ram temple, the viral video shows the people performing moves with the chorus of ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’. The cast is reminiscent of a Maratha warrior’s military procession with yellow dresses and saffron flags and insignias. Users claimed this procession happened on Wed, 19 Feb, 2025 at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in accordance with Shivaji Jayanti.

This image is a social media post from The Statesman, which claims to show Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebrations at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The post includes hashtags like #ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj, #ShivajiMaharajJayanti, #RamMandir, and #Ayodhya. The image within the post features a large gathering of people dressed in yellow attire, waving saffron flags in front of the temple. The design of the post includes a watermark from "The Statesman" and icons for various social media platforms.

The posts could be found here, here and here.

Factcheck

DFRAC team first checked official social media handles of Ayodhya temple and Marathi media to verify the news. No concrete reference was found in this regard. How such an important, politically significant cultural event of such magnitude is not reported anywhere.

Then the team proceeded to analyze the key frames through the help of InVid tool. Through reverse image search on Google, the team found that the video uploaded to Mana Stars YouTube channel on Jan 25, 2024. The video has been shared with the title ‘ Goosebumps Performance By Indra Jimi of Pune at Shree Ram Janmbhumi’.

The video could be watched here.

Similarly, a short video of the performance has been uploaded on the official channel of NDTV Profit on Jan 25, 2024.

Besides, the investigation found detailed report on the performance uploaded on same day on official YouTube of The Economic Times on the same date.

The video could be watched here.

Probing further, the investigation found news report corroborating that the performance took place Jan 25, 2024 at Ayodhya Ram Mandir. With the title ‘Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Maharashtra’s dhol-tasha players turn up the heat with enthralling beats’, The Economic Times has shared the news on Jan 25, 2024.

Again, ANI has shared the video with the title ‘Artists from Pune perform ‘Dhol Tasha’ at Ayodhya Ram Mandir’ on the same day.

This image is a screenshot of a social media post by The Statesman, which claims to depict Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Jayanti celebrations at Ram Mandir, Ayodhya. The post includes hashtags like #ChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj, #ShivajiMaharajJayanti, #RamMandir, and #Ayodhya.

The image within the post shows a large crowd dressed in yellow attire, waving multiple saffron flags in front of the Ram Mandir temple complex. The structure of the temple and the festive atmosphere suggest a grand celebration. The post also features a watermark from The Statesman and icons for Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, indicating that the content might have been sourced or reshared from other social media platforms.

Online media Latestly, had reported the event in detail on 25 January 2024, with the title ‘Artists from Pune perform ‘Dhol Tasha’ at Ayodhya Ram Mandir’.

The story could be read here.

Conclusion

From the investigation of DFRAC, it became clear that video of people performing in front of the Ram temple at Ayodhya while chanting ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’, is from 25 January 2024. The video is not this year’s Shivaji Jayanti as claimed by users. So the viral posts are misleading.