Viral Picture Of Nandi Idol Revived With Fake Claim

FactCheck

BOOM ran a Google reverse image search on the viral photo and found that it is from Sellandiamman Temple. The idol was found during an excavation in Ariyu village, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu. The same photo was tweeted earlier by Twitter handle Lost Temples, with a caption 'Namakkal District Mohanur Ariyur Arulmigu Cellandiamman Temple yesterday while extending the compound wall they digged the ground they found a big Nandhi murti'. Taking cue, we searched with relevant keywords and found news reports on the incident. According to a Puthiyathalaimurai report, the picture is from Sellandiamman Temple which was being reconstructed and the Nandi idol was discovered when authorities dug a trench in front of the temple to build a perimeter wall. We can see the same photo in the report and a video report by Puthiyathalaimurai TV dated September 5, 2021. The report further mentions that the temple authorities handed over the idol to Revenue officials. We also found a news report on the incident by Dinamalar, a Tamil website, with the same photo. BOOM debunked the same photo in 2021 when it went viral with a similar claim.