In the Philippines, a woman bought a green statue from a local store, believing it was a Buddha idol.
She prayed before it every day for more than four years.
She owned the statue for four years.
When a friend visited, they noticed the figure was the cartoon Shrek, not a religious idol.
It is unclear how the woman reacted.
In India, a similar incident took place last year at Mathura’s Banke Bihari temple.
Devotees gathered to drink water dripping from an elephant sculpture, thinking it was charan amrit.
However, the water actually came from an air conditioner installed inside the temple.
The episode surfaced after an X user recorded people drinking the water without questioning it.
Dinesh Goswami, a member of Banke Bihari temple, confirmed the water was not safe to drink.
Speaking with The Times of India, he said, “We respect the faith people have in God, but it’s essential to inform them. The water they believe to be ‘Charan Amrit’ is just water from the AC. The real ‘Charan Amrit’ would contain ingredients like Tulsi and rose petals.”
Disheartened by the news, a devotee said, “We come here with deep faith and now this news breaks our hearts. The temple must prevent people from consuming this water, believing it to be divine. We consider Jal sacred. If it’s just AC water, it’s unsafe.”
Even after the truth came out, people still drank the water.
Some collected it in small paper cups, believing it to be holy.