Sri Lanka's revered Buddha relic temple is now making headlines as a photo from the no-photography zone has been leaked. The temple is in Kandy, a scenic location fortified by mountains. The temple is hosting an exhibition where the relic is on display for 10 days, which will end on Sunday (Apr 27). This is also the first time the revered object will be on display since 2009.

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The temple is extremely strict about its dress code and security. Clicking a photo in such a high-security arrangement is tricky but maybe not impossible. The police department is trying to decode whether the picture in circulation is a real capture or an AI-created image.

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“If someone took a photo inside the temple, it is a serious security lapse. There is a significant presence of plain-clothed officers inside the temple,” a police official told news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP). The Criminal Investigation Department has been ordered to investigate the photograph that has gone viral on the internet and is in circulation. It is assumed that it was taken during the rare display of the relic, according to the police.

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As per the statement released by the police department, detectives will be involved in the case to further probe the matter. Whether a devotee took it or is an edited AI-generated image, the investigation will reveal in due time.

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An estimated 125,000 people have already viewed the rare relic on the first day of the exhibition. It was open for devotees for a limited period of just two and a half hours. From Day 2 onwards, it was open for a longer duration of five and a half hours, as per police.