Fact Check: This Shivling is not from Mecca- Medina, but from Rajasthan
A picture of a big Shivling is going viral on social media. Users claim that it is a Shivling in Mecca-Medina, Saudi Arabia.
By Tejal Sinha Published on 3 July 2021 5:57 AM GMT
Hyderabad: A picture of a big Shivling is going viral on social media. Users claim that it is a Shivling in Mecca-Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The picture of Shivling is shared with a caption that reads: "It is for the first time in History that the Shivling of the Mecca Medina is shown. All the Hindu brothers don't get shocked, share this."
Fact Check
The claim is False.
NewsMeter found many faces of Shivling is visible. A person is standing wearing a dhoti and folded hands. In this photo, a person can also be seen prostrating in front of Shivling. There is also a rock above the Shivling due to which this place looks like a cave. Some flowers are also placed on the Shivling. Overall, it looks like a temple where this Shivling is worshipped.
We then performed a Google Reverse Image Search of the picture, which directed us to a report `Map of India' published on April 5, 2015.
We found a similar picture with a cutline, "12 faces of Shiva on the phallus sculpted within the cave temple at Pandu Hill"
We then performed a keyword search and found websites that had published the picture and had mentioned that this Shivling is from Viratnagar, Rajasthan.
Through the keyword search, we also found reports that had earlier debunked the viral claim.
A report published by Aaj Tak had debunked the viral claim on July 16, 2019. The report had stated that the Shivling was found at Mecca-Medina is actually from Jaipur.
The claim was also debunked earlier by The Lallantop on May 23, 2018. It was also debunked by News Mobile on May 27, 2020.
It is therefore evident that the viral claim that the picture of the Shivling is from Mecca Medina is False. It is from a temple of Rajasthan. The picture was published in 2015 and has been doing rounds since then.
