Clip shows Burmese resistance fighters praying at replica pagoda, not ‘arriving at Golden Rock shrine’

As conflict between the military and various armed groups continues to roil Buddhist-majority Myanmar, a clip of pro-democracy fighters has been shared alongside a false claim they have arrived at a sacred site of worship called the Golden Rock pagoda. But visual clues show the pagoda is just a replica found in the country’s central region of Magway and not the original one located in the eastern Mon state.

“Arrived on the mountain of  the Golden Rock Pagoda,” read the Burmese-language caption of a Facebook post shared on November 12.

The post includes a video of soldiers with arm badges showing the logo of “People’s Defence Forces“, which are units made up of former students, farmers and workers who have left their lives behind to take up arms and oppose the junta’s coup (archived links here and here). 

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda — or Golden Rock pagoda — is one of Myanmar’s most famous Buddhist landmarks.

Each year millions of pilgrims visit the pagoda on the summit of Mount Kyaiktiyo, peaking during Buddhist Lent up until Vesak day from October to May in the following year (archived link).

The video has accumulated over 1.4 million views and was shared more than 4,000 times.

Screenshot of false Facebook post taken on November 14, 2024

The video has been shared alongside similar claims on Facebook, YouTube and X.

Myanmar has been racked by conflict between the military and various armed groups opposed to its rule since the ruling junta ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 (archived link).

The junta’s brutal crackdown on anti-coup protesters resulted in thousands of youths flocking to join the PDF and reignited fighting with ethnic armed groups.

Intensified skirmishes between the military and anti-coup fighters around the area of the Golden Rock pagoda became a safety concern for tourists and pilgrims who were visiting the site (archived links here and here).

Comments indicate users appear to believe the claim.

“May the heroes who are fighting for the truth be safely returned to their mothers’ bosom by the power of the Golden Rock Pagoda,” one user said.   

“Be safe all beloved hero PDF,” another said.

But the pagoda in the video is a replica of the famous Buddhist shrine situated about 654 kilometers from the original site in Mon State.

Replica pagoda

Comments in the post said the video shows a replica of the Golden Rock pagoda located in the village of Daung O Gyi in the Myaing township.

A photo from 2021 in Google Maps showed the pagoda in Daung O Gyi — which is located in the mostly flat central region of Magway — has a similar deck railing as the one seen in the pagoda in the false post (archived link).

Below is a screenshot comparison of the clip in the false post (left) and the Google Maps’ photo of the replica pagoda (right) with matching features highlighted by AFP:

An AFP photo of the Golden Rock pagoda taken in 2016 also revealed its features are different from that of the replica pagoda.

The Golden Rock pagoda has a concrete stairway that appears to encircle it, while the replica does not have one as seen in the Street View imagery of Google Maps (archived link).

Replicas of famous Buddhist sites are common in Myanmar, with more replicas of the Golden Rock pagoda constructed in the townships of Dawei and Paung (archived links here and here).

AFP previously debunked false information related to the PDF forces here, here and here.

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