A 48-second video showing an animal being slaughtered on a residential rooftop near the west tower of the iconic Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai has created a stir across social media platforms, with the video being widely shared with a Hindi voiceover, insinuating that the animal in question could be a cow. The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed that the voiceover in the video hinted that the animal being slaughtered was either a cow or a goat, following which we reached out to local residents living near the temple. We were directed to a Hindu shaman named Sivaraman, who lives near the west tower of the Meenakshi Amman Temple.
We then spoke to Sivaraman, who said, “This is a long-standing practice where after receiving the offerings, I sacrifice a goat and feed the devotees. But they [social media users] are sharing the video in a wrong, slanderous way,” thus confirming that a video of a goat sacrifice tradition, in order to feed devotees, was being shared with a false communal narrative.
We also enquired with local residents, who also reiterated that Sivaraman is a traditional shaman who organises annadhaanam (tradition of offering meals as a form of charity) for devotees and guests to the temple every year after sacrificing a goat.
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Conclusion
Video viral with false claim that a cow was being slaughtered near the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai.
Source
Phone conversation with Sivaraman, February 19, 2025
Conversation with local residents
