Fact Check: Massive nuclear warhead seen on Indian road? No, video shows world’s largest Shivling
A video claiming that Indians are worshipping a nuclear warhead built to counter China and Pakistan is going viral on social media.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The video shows Indians worshipping a nuclear warhead built to counter China and Pakistan while it is being transported by road.
Fact:The claim is false. The video shows the transportation of the world’s largest Shivling from Tamil Nadu to Gopalganj, Bihar.
Hyderabad: A video circulating on social media shows crowds of people offering prayers and garlands to a massive black cylindrical structure being transported on a road on a trailer.
The visuals have been linked to a claim that Indians are worshipping a nuclear warhead developed to counter neighbouring countries, China and Pakistan.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Indians worshipping the Nuclear warhead they built to counter China and Pakistan. (sic)” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows the transportation of the world’s largest Shivling from Tamil Nadu to Gopalganj, Bihar.
To verify the claim, NewsMeter conducted a keyword search to check whether the video showed a nuclear warhead or any form of military equipment. No credible defence reports, official statements or verified records support the claim that a nuclear weapon is shown or worshipped in the video.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led NewsMeter to a YouTube upload shared on January 8, describing the visuals as the world’s largest Shivling.
Building on this lead, a keyword search revealed an X post by news agency ANI dated January 4.
The ANI post stated, “Gopalganj, Bihar: The world’s largest Shivling from Tamil Nadu has reached Gopalganj and is on its way to the Virat Ramayan Temple in Motihari, drawing many devotees.”
#WATCH | Gopalganj, Bihar: The world's largest Shivling from Tamil Nadu has reached Gopalganj and is on its way to the Virat Ramayan Temple in Motihari, drawing many devotees. pic.twitter.com/MLG65xkEJM
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2026
Further verification from a Zee News report, dated January 8, confirmed that the video documents the transportation of the world’s largest Shivling, a sacred Hindu symbol representing Lord Shiva, from Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu to the Virat Ramayan Mandir in Bihar.
The Shivling is carved from a single granite stone in the Sahasralingam form, featuring 1,008 smaller Shivlings. Measuring 33 feet in height and weighing 210 tonnes, it surpasses the previous record held by a Shivling in Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, the claim that the video shows Indians worshipping a nuclear warhead is false. It shows devotees paying respects to the world’s largest Shivling during its transport for installation at a temple in Bihar.
The visuals have no connection to nuclear weapons or military activity.
