Fact Check: 201YO Tibetan monk was not found alive in Nepal, viral posts are false
An image of a monk in Thailand apparently smiling is widely being shared on social media. Users claim he is a Tibetan monk and the oldest man alive.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 3 Dec 2021 5:13 AM GMT
Hyderabad: An image of a monk in Thailand apparently smiling is widely being shared on social media. Users claim he is a Tibetan monk and the oldest man alive.
"A Tibetan monk has been found in the mountains of Nepal. He is believed to be the oldest person alive in the world. He is aged 201. He is in a state of deep Samadhi or meditation known as `takatate'. When he was first discovered in a mountain cave, people thought he was a mummy," reads the caption.
Fact Check
The claim is False.
NewsMeter began its investigation by performing a Google Reverse Image Search which led us to a report by Express published on January 24, 2018. It carried a similar photo as that of the viral post.
The report was titled 'NIRVANA REACHED'. The dead monk who has not decayed for two months still has a 'smile on his face'. According to the report, "Revered monk Luang Phor Pian died on November 16, 2017, aged 92. His body has been kept at the temple where he served in the central Thai province of Lopburi. However, this week when his followers removed his body from his coffin they were shocked to find his body had not decayed, and the monk appeared to be smiling."
The image was also published for a report published by Daily Mail on January 22, 2018.
"When Pian's followers removed his body from its coffin, which had been kept at the temple where he served, they were shocked to find it was remarkably well preserved. Reports said the monks had removed his body in order to fit him with new, clean robes. Amazingly, Pian's corpse appeared to be smiling, with followers snapping pictures of the incredible moment and sharing it to social media," reads the report.
The Fact Check team also found the image on Modernghana, IB Times, and Metro websites.
It is therefore evident that the viral claim is False. The monk passed away in 2017 in Bangkok.
