Image of mace transported to Pitra Parvat, Indore falsely shared as mace found in Sri Lankan excavation
A viral photo circulating on social media (here, here, and here) claims that a mace shown in the photo belonged to Lord Hanuman and was left behind during his battle in Sri Lanka while rescuing Sita. The post claims that this 2-ton mace was recently discovered during an excavation in Sri Lanka and is shown being loaded onto a trailer by a crane. Let’s verify the claim through this article.
Claim: A huge mace excavated in Sri Lanka belongs to Ramayana period.
Fact: The photo of the massive mace is not from an excavation in Sri Lanka. Instead, it is from Indore where a mace was transported to be installed at Pitra Parvat, alongside a large Hanuman statue. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the post led us to a YouTube video uploaded on 24 April 2013, which shows a mace being transported in a heavy vehicle. This confirms that the incident is not recent. The truck in the video matches the one shown in the viral photos.
Taking clues from the video title, we conducted a keyword search that led us to reports (here, here, and here) from April 2013. These reports, titled “A 51 Feet Long Club of God Hanuman” and “Have a Look: The World’s Biggest Hanuman Statue Ready,” describe a 51-foot-long mace installed at Pitra Parvat, along with a large Hanuman statue. The Shri Piteshwar Hanuman Pran Pratishtha Festival, which featured these installations, was celebrated from 24 February to 28 February 2020, in Indore.
In a 2014 article published by Hindustan Times, the author discussed various hoaxes people have believed. The article specifically addresses a photo of the mace that is currently going viral, concluding that the supposed excavation in Sri Lanka is a hoax.
Additionally, BR Joshi Road Lines, the company that transported the cabin, posted pictures on their Facebook page. These photos match the viral image of the mace being transported.
To sum up, the huge mace in the viral photo is from Indore for installation at Pitra Parvat, not from an excavation in Sri Lanka.