An old and unrelated photo of a Shivling from Baba Bhusandeswar Temple in Balasore, Odisha is being shared falsely claiming it is the alleged 'shivling' recently found at the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
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 Hindu plaintiffs in the legal dispute over the Mughal-era Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh allege that the mosque has been built on top of a Hindu shrine, which has been contested by the other side.
Also Read:Photo Of Shivling Found In Vietnam Falsely Linked To Gyanvapi Mosque
A photo of a shivling is being shared with the caption when translated from Hindi reads, "In the Gyanvapi Masjid survey case, an Uttar Pradesh court has ordered the sealing of the pond in the Gyanvapi Masjid premises, where the "Shivling" was found. According to the information, during the Gyanvapi Masjid survey, in the upper part of the mosque where Namaz is offered, there is a place to perform..."
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(In Hindi - ज्ञानवापी मस्जिद सर्वे मामले में उत्तर प्रदेश की एक अदालत ने ज्ञानवापी मस्जिद परिसर के उस तालाब को सील करने का आदेश दिया है, जहां "शिवलिंग" पाया गया है...)
The same photo is also being shared with the same false claim in Telugu with the caption which translates to, "The news just received was that a Shiva Lingam, 12 feet eight inches high, has been found in a survey of the Gnanavapi Masjid. The Varanasi court has ordered to seal the Jyotirlinga and its surroundings and increase security. The court immediately issued orders to deploy CRPF security forces."
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(In Telugu - ఇప్పుడే అందిన వార్త *జ్ఞ్యానవ్యాపి మసీదు* సర్వేలో *12 అడుగుల ఎనిమిది అంగుళాల* ఎత్తు ఉన్న *శివ లింగము* దొరికినది. ఈ జ్యోతిర్లింగమును,దాని పరిసరములను సీలు వేసి,భద్రత పెంచాలని *వారణాసి కోర్టు* ఆదేశించింది. *సి ఆర్ పి ఎఫ్ భద్రత* దళాలను మోహరించాలని కోర్టు తక్షణమే ఆదేశాలను జారీ చేశారు.)
Also Read: Photo Of Fountain From Ajmer Sharif Dargah Falsely Linked To Gyanvapi Mosque
FACT-CHECK
A reverse image search using Google images showed results with the viral photo stating that it is an old photo and is a shivling from Baba Bhusandeswar temple in Balasore, Odisha.
On Wikipedia, the photo is credited to Monjit Paul stating that it was taken at Baba Bhusandeswar Temple in Balasore, Odhisa, and was uploaded on November 23, 2014.
The viral photo matches with this original photo that has been credited to Paul.
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Additionally, on checking other photos of Baba Bhusandeswar Temple, they match with the viral photo. We also found a news report on the temple on Sanket TV, which is a digital Odia news platform.
The visuals of the temple and the Shivling structure match when compared with visuals in this news report from March 2019. From the 1.40 minutes timestamp we can see this.
