Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
An image claiming to show a statue of Nandi, a sacred bull associated with Hindu Lord Shiva, at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi is going viral on social media platforms after the claims about finding a ‘Shivling’ inside Gyanvapi mosque went rife. Newschecker has found that the statue of Nandi is from a temple in Maharashtra and not from Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Several Twitter users shared the image, with the caption “Nandi always has his face towards the shivling but the Nandi of Kashi Vishwanath faces the Gyanvapi mosque, which was originally Viswanath Temple. Nandi gazes at the door, waiting for his master to appear (sic).”
We found the same image doing the rounds on Facebook as well
Gyanvapi mosque, situated in close vicinity of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, is in the headlines after an object resembling a ‘Shivling’ was found inside the Wuzukhana of the mosque during a recent videographed survey. Following this, the Supreme Court on Tuesday had directed the DM of Varanasi to ensure the protection of the area where the object was reported to be found. It added that Muslims should not be restricted or impeded from accessing the Gyanvapi mosque to offer namaz or perform religious observances.
Also Read: What Is The Places of Worship Act 1991 & What Does It Have To Do With The Gyanvapi Row?
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker conducted Google reverse image search on the viral image claiming to show the statue of Nandi at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, and found the same picture was uploaded on the website Age Fotostock with the caption, “Nandi Bull statue in Kashi Vishweshwar temple at Wai, Satara, Maharashtra, India, Asia.”
We further looked up images of Nandi at Kashi Vishweshwar temple in Maharashtra and found the same image of Nandi carved out of a black stone was uploaded on Alamy, Shutterstock and dreamstime.
A picture of the same statue of Nandi from a different angle was uploaded on Trip Advisor with the caption ‘Nandi Bull statue in the Kashi Vishweshwar temple.’
We found a front-facing photograph of the statue of Nandi at Kashi Vishweshwar Temple in Satara on Google images. On comparing it with the viral image, we found several similarities between the architecture and positioning of the statue.
About Kashi Vishweshwar Temple In Satara
Kashi Vishweshwar Temple is situated in Wai, a small town in Satara district of Maharashtra. Devoted to Lord Shiva, the temple is sculpted out of stone. It houses a Shivalinga with a snake wrapped around it and a huge statue of Nandi.
Further, we looked up the Nandi statue in Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and found a report by Jagran, dated March 3, 2022, that featured an image of Mamata Banerjee whispering in Nandi’s ears (a practice of prayer followed in various parts). The statue of Nandi at Kashi Vishwanath temple, as seen in the picture, is orange in colour, unlike the viral image.
Conclusion
Our investigation revealed that the image claiming to show the statue of Nandi at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, who is “waiting for his master to appear” is in fact from Kashi Vishweshwar temple in Maharashtra.
Result: False Context/False
Sources
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
