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  • 2022-10-10 (xsd:date)
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  • Serpent-shaped rock is historic site in Thailand, not Sri Lanka (en)
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  • Photos of a rock formation that resembles a shake have been shared thousands of times on Facebook alongside a claim it is situated in southern Sri Lanka at the site of a historic temple. This is false. The photos show a rock formation in Thailand. Although there is an area known as Naigala -- or snake rock -- in southern Sri Lanka, a local temple chief told AFP that its name originated from folklore, not from a rock formation. Naigala in Gotaimbaragama, Tangalla is a unique place. Although it's not famous, it features a rare natural formation, reads a Sinhala-language Facebook post published on September 27. According to folklore and the villages, this rock is actually a snake that incurred the wrath of gods about 3,500 years ago. Naigala -- which translates as snake rock -- is an area in the southern Sri Lankan city of Gotaimbaragama. The post, which has had more than 2,900 shares, includes seven photos of a rock formation that resembles a snake. Screenshot of the Facebook post captured on October 3,2022 The photos circulated alongside a similar claim in Facebook posts here and here . Some social media users appeared to believe that the pictures show a rock formation in Sri Lanka. Amazing. Can't believe there are so many places we haven't seen yet in this country, read one Sinhala-language comment. This looks scary and wonderful. But you shouldn't have posted it. Once it becomes an 'influencer destination', our people will just flock over there and ruin it, another said. The photos, however, were not taken in Sri Lanka. Thai tourist spot A reverse image search found the photos published in this Reddit thread on December 3, 2020. The caption reads: Naka Cave, Thailand. One of those things that makes your brain go hmm... Four of the same photos were also published in this Facebook post about a serpent-shaped rock in Thailand. Naka cave in Thailand is a touristic hotspot due to a natural rock formation that oddly resembles a snake, reads the post from September 2020. According to this description on the website of Thailand's tourism ministry, the rock is situated in Naka Cave in Phu Langka National Park, northeastern Thailand. It was formed through fluctuating temperatures which caused the rock to crack, the article says. While the rock formation is thought to be about 100,000 years old , it was only discovered in 2020 by a team of council officials cleaning water tanks in the national park. The unexpected find sparked a surge in hotel bookings around the site as tourists flocked to see the petrified snake, the Bangkok Post reported . Wakamulle Uditha thera , chief priest of the historic Naigala temple in the town of Weeraketiya, said the name Naigala -- or snake rock -- originates from folklore. This temple did not earn its name because of a rock formation. It was due to folklore, which claimed that a snake led the king to this location, after which he built this temple, he told AFP. (en)
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