In Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan, devotees at a temple mistakenly believed that water dripping from an elephant structure was ‘Charan Amrit’, or holy water from the feet of Lord Krishna.
A video of devotees drinking the water has since gone viral on social media and has been eliciting numerous reactions from people.
The now-viral video shows devotees drinking water dripping from an elephant-shaped spout on the wall of the Shri Banke Bihari Mandir.
Some are seen collecting the water in cups, while others drink from cupped hands, mistaking it for holy water.A few devotees even placed the water on their heads as a sign of reverence. However, this water, flowing from elephant-shaped outlets in the temple’s architecture, was not Charan Amrit but simply water from the AC, as per reports.
A temple visitor recording the scene is heard telling devotees that the water is from the AC, not from the feet of Lord Krishna.
Despite the clarification, the devotee smiled and continued. The devotee filming others queuing outside the temple warned against drinking the water. He said that since it is from the AC, it may be unsafe and could lead to infections.
In 2012, a similar incident occurred in Mumbai when water began dripping from the feet of a statue of Jesus Christ.
Devotees initially regarded it as a miracle. However, Indian rationalist Sanal Edamaruku investigated and debunked the claim, explaining that the water was, in fact, seeping from a clogged drainage pipe, not a source of holy water.