Fact Check: Nandi idol found buried under temple, not mosque

Hyderabad: A photo of an idol of the Hindu deity Nandi is being shared on social media with the claim that it was found buried under a mosque.

हर मस्जिद मजार दरगाह की यही कहानी।
नीचे दबी है हिंदुत्व की निशानी🚩 pic.twitter.com/3GfKPCN5sa

— Awanish Kumar Singh (@Awanish_Singh) April 22, 2022

हर मस्जिद मजार दरगाह की यही कहानी।
नीचे दबी है हिंदुत्व की निशानी🚩 pic.twitter.com/eZ0fxx6n5f

— Naveen Kumar Jindal 🇮🇳 (@naveenjindalbjp) April 23, 2022

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Fact Check

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found several news reports from September 2021 indicating that the idol was found at Sellandiamman temple in Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu.

According to a report by Puthiyathalaimurai, a Tamil Nadu-based media organisation, the idol was discovered at the Sellandiamman temple when authorities dug a trench in front of the temple to build a perimeter wall.

The same was reported by other news outlets such as Dinamalar and Vikatan. "Work is currently underway to renovate the Sellandiamman Temple…workers dug the soil in front of the Pondicherry temple to build a perimeter wall. At that time, they saw an old Nandi idol buried in the soil and informed the temple authorities about it," reported Vikatan.

1,000 ஆண்டு பழமையான நந்தி சிலை கண்டுபிடிப்பு https://t.co/g2qMfJFKh8 pic.twitter.com/5kOHYE7w2d

— Dinamalar (@dinamalarweb) September 2, 2021

The reports further said that the temple authorities handed over the idol to revenue officials.

It is clear that the Nandi idol was not found buried under a mosque. The picture is being shared online with a false communal claim.