An old photo of an idol of Hindu deity Nandi (bull) from a temple in Wai, Maharashtra is being shared falsely claiming it is from Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The photo is being shared linking recent developments where a 'Shivling' was claimed to have been found at Gyanvapi Mosque which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
A Varanasi court on May 16, 2022, ordered the sealing a portion of Gyanvapi mosque after Hindu plaintiffs in the case claimed that a Shivling was found in the complex of the mosque after a court mandated survey of the premises. However, The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee representing the Muslim side have claimed that the object described as Shivling is a fountain in the Wazu Khana (ablution) area.
The photo of the Nandi is being shared with a photo of the Gyanvapi Mosque and the caption reads, "Nandi's long wait Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Nandi always has his face towards the Shivling but Nandi of Kashi Vishwanath faces the Gyanwapi mosque, the original Vishwanath mandir. Muslims offer Namaz in the Masjid while Nandi gazes at the door, waiting for his master to appear. Our Bhagwan is there, waiting for us."
In Hinduism, Nandi is the carrier of the god Shiva.
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The same graphic has been viral and has been doing the rounds with the misleading claim on Facebook since at least October 2020.
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Also Read: Unrelated Photo Of Shivling From Odisha Falsely Linked To Gyanvapi Mosque
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the viral photo of the Nandi is from the Kashi Vishweshwar temple in Wai, Maharashtra, and not from Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi Uttar Pradesh.
Search results for a reverse image on the viral photo showed results with websites that had carried that photo. We found the same photo of the Nandi on stock photo websites.
The description of the photo on Shutterstock reads, "Wai Maharashtra India August 1, 2011, Beautifully carved Nandi(Bull) in black stone and tower for him in the complex of Kashi Vishweshwar temple"
We can see that the viral photo and the original photo match as seen below.
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The same photo can also be found on the stock photo website Alamy, which states that it was taken in May 2012. (Click here to view)
Additionally, we also viewed footage of the temple, as seen in this video uploaded by Wild Flims India on April 11, 2013, with the caption, "Statue of Nandi at Kashi Vishwesgwar Mandir."
At the 23 seconds timestamp, we can again see the Nandi idol in the temple complex which matches with the viral photo.