AI-Generated Image Of ‘Vanara Sadya’ At Kerala Temple Goes Viral

Several social media users are circulating an image, claiming that it shows the unique “Vanara Sadya” (feast for monkeys) being served at the Sree Dharma Sastha Temple in Sasthamkotta, which is in Kerala’s Kollam district.

“The temple is known for its traditional ‘Vanara Sadya’, a feast served to monkeys on plantain leaves, resembling a sit-down meal in rows, according to The Hindu. This feast, including vegetarian delicacies, is served in a dedicated area called the ‘vanara bhojana sala’. The monkeys are known to wait patiently for the food to be served and then enjoy their meal, according to The Hindu.The “Vanara Sadya” is a practice dating back to the Ramayana era, where monkeys are honored with a traditional feast. The monkeys are served on plantain leaves and are known to be well-behaved during the meal,” the viral post reads. 

The posts share the photo that purportedly shows a group of monkeys sitting in two rows on the ground, each in front of a banana leaf filled with the Kerala sadya — the traditional vegetarian feast. Policemen keep watch while a large crowd gathers to observe the ritual, against the backdrop of a large temple-like structure.

We received this claim on our Whatsapp tipline (+91-9999499044), too, requesting us to fact-check it.

The archived version of the posts can be seen here and here.

This image is also going viral with the claim that monkeys being fed on the Ghats of Varanasi d on the eve of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. The archived version of the posts can be seen here

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Fact Check/ Verification

We conducted a keyword search which led us to a photograph published by The Hindu, depicting the feast at the Sri Dharma Shasta Temple in Shasthamkotta on August 30, 2023. The image shows monkeys consuming the feast in a disorderly manner with food items scattered across the area.

In the video posted on the Kerala Tourism Department’s website, the monkeys are seen eating in a highly disorderly manner, leaving the entire area littered with food. Notably, in both the photograph published by The Hindu and the video on the Kerala Tourism Department’s website, there is no visible police presence behind the monkeys during the meal.

We examined the images of the temple and the Vanara Bhojanashala provided on Google Maps. We found that the images do not resemble the locations in the photos currently circulating.

After realising that it was not a photograph of the traditional ‘Vanara Sadya’ at the Sasthamkotta temple, we examined the picture closely. We found that it was overly smooth in texture, suggesting that it may be AI-generated.

We checked it using AI-detection tools and found that the image was created by using Artificial Intelligence. Wasitai was highly confident that the photo — or a significant portion of it — was AI-generated.

We also verified the image using another AI-content detection tool, Sightengine, which found it 92% likely to be AI-generated.

Another AI-content detection platform, Hive Moderation, found an overall 94.8% likelihood of the media containing AI-generated or deepfake content.

Conclusion

The viral photograph claiming to show the special “vanara sadya” at a Kerala temple was found to be AI-generated.

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Sources
News report by The Hindu on August 30,2023
Kerala Tourism Website
Google Map
Hive Moderation Website
WasitAI Website
Sightengine Website