A photo from the Kumbh Mela taken in 2013 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh showing a group of pilgrims taking a dip in the river is being shared with a false claim that it is from the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
Several images showing a sea of devotees have been shared by social media users berating the government for allowing the religious gathering to take place even as the country reels from a second wave of COVID-19 cases. Devotees took a holy dip at the Har Ki Pauri ghat in Uttarakhand's Haridwar on the occasion of the third ''shahi snan'' in Kumbh on April 13, 2021.
Kumbh is held periodically at four different locations in India -- Nashik, Haridwar, Prayagraj, and Ujjain, and is one of the largest religious gatherings and a major pilgrimage for Hindus.
And while the above photos are true, the viral image circulating on WhatsApp and social media is not from this year's Kumbh The photo was shared by Harsh Goenka with a sarcastic caption saying, "Meanwhile at the #KumbhMela the international press is appalled at how low we wear our masks!"
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Viral on Facebook
The same photo is being shared on Facebook with the misleading claim.
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FACT-CHECK
We found that the viral photo is from 2013 taken during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh and not recent as being claimed.
On performing a reverse image using Yandex, we found an article dated February 14, 2013, which had the same photo with the title 'MAHA KUMBH MELA: 100 MILLION ATTEND THE WORLD'S LARGEST FESTIVAL'
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In the article, the author states that he had visited the 2013 Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh. Additionally we can see another photo in the article which shows the same devotes.
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