After the earthquake affected Myanmar and Thailand, a video clip showing the damage to ancient temple structures was shared on social media, featuring footage before and after the recent natural disaster. Many social media users shared and reacted to the post. However, after conducting a Google Reverse Image search, we discovered that the claim posted above was misleading.
Social Media Claim
A 14-second video showing the temple before and after the earthquake was uploaded by a Facebook page. The video has been widely shared on social media, with many users commenting and believing that it shows the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.
Below is a video captured from the post shared on Facebook on March 28, 2025, which reads: “Myanmar, the place of Buddhist worship, is a dream destination for many, including myself. But now, it is lost.”
In addition to the post mentioned above, another Facebook page also shared a similar video, which has since been widely spread and has received significant reactions from social media users.
This video clip, along with the accompanying claim, has also been shared by other Facebook users over the past few days, resulting in further widespread distribution and sharing.
Given the claim’s extensive dissemination and the considerable attention it has received from the internet community, we believed it was necessary to perform a fact-check on the above subject.
Fact Check
Fact Crescendo has conducted an investigation and verification of the above claim using Google Reverse Image Search and relevant keywords, leading to the following findings:
A short video clip of about 30 seconds, showing an identical scene, was recently found circulating on the social media platform TikTok. The clip was accompanied by a caption in Burmese that read: “#12:51အချိန်1နာရီချိန်ငလျင်လှုပ်ခပ်မှုကြောင့်ပင်းတယစေတီကြီးပြိုကြပြန်လည်လှူသန်းဝိုင်းဝန်းပေးကြပါဗျငိုသံတွေနက်စိတ်မကောင်းဖစ်မိပါတယ်ဗျာ” which translates to English as: “At 12:51 PM, the earthquake lasting one hour caused the ZayTiGyi Pagoda to collapse and suffer damage.”
Below is the video clip originally posted on TikTok. However, it does not show the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, as some users mistakenly claimed.
According to Google Maps, the ZayTiGyi Pagoda is located in Pindaya, Shan State, to the south of Mandalay. This is not the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, as mistakenly assumed by the user.
Below is an overall view of the damage to ancient temple structures in the city of Mandalay, as reported by NDTV.
Fact Crescendo also found that the Mahamuni Temple is situated in Mandalay, Myanmar. This is an important distinction because the Mahamuni Temple and the Shwedagon Pagoda are two separate and historically significant sites in the country.
The Mahamuni Temple, located in Mandalay, is known for its revered statue of Buddha, while the Shwedagon Pagoda is located in Yangon and is one of the most iconic and sacred Buddhist landmarks in Myanmar.
Where is the Shwedagon Pagoda located?
The Shwedagon Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. It is approximately 630 kilometers from the Mahamuni Temple, which is situated in the city of Mandalay.
Rescue operations in Myanmar are still actively ongoing as emergency response teams work tirelessly to search for survivors and provide assistance to those affected by the recent earthquake. Despite these efforts, the situation remains dire, with the death toll having tragically risen to over 3,000 people as of the publication date of this article.
It should also be noted that a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, March 28, 2025. This earthquake is the most significant seismic event in the region in over a century, making it the strongest earthquake recorded in Myanmar in more than 100 years. The intensity of the quake has had devastating effects, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
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Conclusion
Fact Crescendo has found that the claim described above is misleading. The ancient temple that was damaged by the earthquake is the Mahamuni Temple located in Mandalay, not the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.
Title:Mandalay’s earthquake-damaged temple mistakenly identified as in Yangon
Fact Check By: Kakada SimResult: Misleading
