A Replica of Buddha’s Collarbone Misunderstood by Cambodian Facebook Users
As Buddhism is the main religion in Cambodia, a photo of a bone in a glass box has been widely circulated on social media with a caption saying it is Buddha’s collarbone. The Facebook post has been widely shared, reacted to, and commented on by Khmer-speaking social media users. However, after a collaboration with a fact-checker based in Sri Lanka, we found out the claim was misleading.
SOCIAL MEDIA CLAIM
A viral social media claim said a bone that is preserved in a glass box is Lord Buddha’s collarbone.
The Facebook post has been widely shared on social media since the early month. Many Khmer-speaking social media users have reacted and commented on the claim, believing it is true.
Below is the capture of the claim which was circulated on Facebook on January 02, 2023, with a caption saying “Lord Buddha’s collarbone.”
Below is the capture of the same claim which was posted on social media by another Facebook user, which led to many shares and comments.
The capture of the Facebook post below shows two photos of the bone in the golden box. This post got almost 400 shares and a lot of comments.
Below is another capture of the Facebook post which circulated the same caption. The post also got a lot of shares and comments.
The same claim can be fully read vial links here 1 (archived), 2 (archived), 3, (archived).
FACT CHECK
Fact Crescendo Cambodia began debunking the claim above by running Google Reverse Image Search and asking a collaboration with our fact-checking fellow based in Sri Lanka. Then, we find out the facts below.
By running a Google Reverse Image Search, we found the same photo and relevant images of the bone preserved in a glass box.
The images were circulated on social media late 2023 by a Facebook page named in Sinhalese – a language which is spoken by majority of people in Sri Lanka.
The Facebook post on December 28, 2023, said the bone is a replica of Lord Buddha’s collarbone. This is based on a translation on Google Translate.
The Facebook post added the replica of Lord Buddha’s right collarbone was ceremonially held in Thuparama pagoda – the oldest Buddhism temple in Sri Lanka which dated back to the arrival of Buddhism in the island.
The post also stated that the replica is aimed at providing a clear understanding for public about the Lord Buddha’s collarbone which most of Buddhist followers have never realized.
Lord Buddha’s right collarbone has been preserved in Thuparama temple which was firstly built in Anuradhapura city and shared a close relationship with the arrival of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, according to a description in NEKHOR website. See the full story here (archived).
NEKHOR ORGANIZAION | Archived Link
CONCLUSION
Fact Crescendo Cambodia found the claim mentioned earlier is misleading. The bone contained in the glass box is not the original collarbone of Buddha. It is a replica of Buddha’s collarbone which was made by Buddhist followers in Sri Lanka.
Title:A Replica of Buddha’s Collarbone Misunderstood by Cambodian Facebook Users
Written By: Jay UdomResult: Misleading
