No, man walking on his hands in viral video is not headed to Ayodhya Ram temple

What is the claim?

A video of a man wearing a saffron dhoti (a long loincloth worn by men in India) and walking on his hands has been circulating on social media with the claim that it shows a devotee headed towards the northern Indian city of Ayodhya. Social media users have claimed that the man set off on this unique journey to take part in the consecration ceremony of the Ayodhya Ram temple on January 22.

Sharing the video on X, a user wrote in Hindi that the video showed a special Lord Ram devotee, who they claimed had transformed himself into a ‘scorpion’ and was making his way to the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya. “This is the miracle of Sanatan Dharma…,” the user added. The archived version of this post can be viewed here.

Screenshot of a social media post sharing the viral video. (Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

The viral clip was also shared by DY365, an Assamese news channel, with a similar claim. When translated from Assamese, the accompanying caption read, “A devotee walking on his hands to Ayodhya ahead of the consecration of the Ram Mandir.”

Screenshot of DY365 Facebook post sharing the viral video. (Source: Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video is unrelated to the consecration ceremony (Pran Prathishtha) of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. 

What is the truth?

We performed a reverse image search on the keyframes of the video and found a video report on the YouTube channel ‘SPG BHARAT’ shared on January 11. The YouTube video featured the same person walking on his hands, as seen in the viral video.

Comparison of the viral clip and the YouTube video. (Source: X/YouTube/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

According to the video narration, one Nihal Kumar Singh, also known as Bichoo Baba, from Bihar’s Saharsa district started walking on his hands towards Deoghar and Basukinath in Jharkhand in July 2023. In the video, while talking to the reporter, Singh mentioned that he started his journey from Sultanganj in Bihar on July 4, 2023, and would complete it after he reached Basukinath Dham (in Deoghar) to offer prayers to the Hindu god Shiva. He also added that he started this journey after the health of his ill father improved because of Lord Shiva’s blessings.

Taking a cue from this, we found that the Hindi daily Amar Ujala and regional news outlet ETV Bharat Bihar had reported on Singh’s journey when he started his ‘yatra’ in July 2023.

We also found a poster about Singh on YouTube and Facebook with his contact number. 

Speaking to Logically Facts, Singh refuted the viral claim and clarified that the viral video was likely taken between January 10 and 12 and shows him walking to the Basukinath Dham after crossing Deoghar city. “I am still on my yatra to Basukinath Dham, and it might take me another 25 to 30 days to reach there,” he added.

The verdict

The video doesn’t show a devotee walking on his hands to the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Singh, the individual in the video, has clarified that the video shows him walking to Basukinath Dham in Jharkhand. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.