A video of priests engaged in a fight is going viral on social media. Along with the video, users are mocking the claim allegedly made by “IITian Baba” that the Third World War will begin in the South, suggesting that the chaotic scene in the video makes it seem plausible.
Sharing the video, the handle Kanishk wrote, “The third world war will be over Dakshina.” (archived link)
“तीसरा विश्व युद्ध दक्षिणा को लेकर होगा।”
— 𝙆𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙎𝙃𝙆 (کنشک) (@kanishkisback) March 7, 2025
~IIT BABA
रुझान भी आने लग गए हैं।pic.twitter.com/cMRMnp7G5L
The video was also shared by other handles like Ram Sarekh Singh (archived link) and Armendra Patel (archived link).
तीसरा विश्व युद्ध दक्षिणा के कारण होगा ?
— Ram Sarekh Singh (@nikh2024) March 8, 2025
-Iitian बाबा
यदि ऐसा है , तो भारत पर क्या प्रभाव पड़ेगा ?
🤣pic.twitter.com/ngqY6ebTOV
लड़ाई दक्षिणा को लेकर हो रही-जनता मान रही 🥸🥸
— अमरेन्द्र पटेल बाहुबली (@amrendra566) March 8, 2025
आप बताओ किसलिए हो रही 🙄🙄🙄
pic.twitter.com/eq27qToH26
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Fact Check
In our fact-check research, we took a screenshot from this video and performed a reverse image search, which led us to an India Today report. This report contained a keyframe from the same viral video and revealed that the video is not recent but from January 2024. The incident took place during a temple procession in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, involving a clash between two sects of Iyengars, the Vadakalai and the Thenkalai. The confrontation occurred over the singing of hymns at the Varadharaja Perumal Temple while the idol was being taken for immersion.
Further, we found a report from ETV Bharat. According to this report, the Devaraja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram is considered one of the 108 Vaishnava Divya Desams. It is believed that every year on Mattu Pongal, Varadaraja Perumal, also known as Devaraja Perumal, a revered form of Lord Vishnu, blesses devotees at the Varadaraja Perumal Temple.
During the Parvettai festival on Mattu Pongal, the idol of Varadaraja Perumal passes through various villages as part of the traditional procession.
During this time, it is customary for priests from both the Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects to sing the hymns of the Divya Prabandham. However, there has been a long-standing dispute between the two sects over who will sing the hymns. Many related cases have been pending in court for years. The Madras High Court has temporarily banned both sects from singing the hymns. Instead, the Sanskrit song Dostra Padam is sung.
In January 2024, during Mattu Pongal, while the Devaraj Swami Vaibhavam was taking place, both groups were singing Dostra Padam. During this time, a verbal dispute broke out between the two groups, which quickly escalated into a fight. However, no one was injured in the clash.
In conclusion, the viral video of fight between the two sects of priests is an old incident. The clash occurred over the singing of hymns, but it is now being shared with misleading claims.
| Claim | The video shows priests involved in a physical altercation. |
| Claimed by | Social media users |
| Fact Check | The viral video of priests from the Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects fighting is from an old incident. The clash occurred over the singing of hymns. |
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