Fact Check: Nepal’s Pashupatinath Temple under attack? No, video is unrelated to ongoing protests
A video claiming to show protesters attacking the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal is viral on social media.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Hyderabad: Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday (September 9) amid growing anti-corruption protests led by the country’s youth. Despite a curfew imposed in three districts of the Kathmandu Valley, demonstrations continued for a second day.
At least 19 people, mostly youth, were killed on Monday (September 8) when police opened fire on protesters demanding an end to corruption, nepotism and misgovernance. Over 400 were reported injured.
Amid this unrest, a video claiming to show Gen Z protesters attacking the Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal has gone viral on social media.
In the video, a crowd is seen at the temple’s entrance, with some people climbing the gate.
Sharing the clip, an X user wrote, “If the anger is against the government, why target the Pashupatinath temple? This temple is not just bricks and stones, but a symbol of faith and identity for the Hindu community. Protesting against the government is understandable, but why attack the temple?” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is old and unrelated to the current protests.
Checking comments under the viral video hinted that the clip may not be recent. (Archive)
Using reverse image search of keyframes, we found a screenshot of the same video posted on Instagram. The screenshot is of a TikTok video by hamrojatra.com uploaded on July 14. The post clarified that the video was recorded during a temple jatra and that the Pashupatinath Temple was safe. (Archive)
Following this lead, we searched hamrojatra.com for the video. The website describes itself as a platform for sharing live videos of Nepal’s culture, festivals and jatras with global audiences.
Opening their social media handles, we found the same video shared on Instagram and YouTube on July 14, with the caption (translated from Nepali): “Who knows about this procession at Pashupatinath Temple? Which procession and when is it held? Why are you climbing on the door?” (Archive) (Archive)
This confirmed that the clip is from a past cultural procession and has nothing to do with the ongoing protests by the Gen Z population in Nepal.
Has the Pashupatinath Temple been affected in the recent protests?
The historic Pashupatinath Temple, one of Nepal’s most revered religious sites, has however, been closed to visitors on Wednesday due to the escalating violence across the country. The Nepalese Army has been deployed to ensure security around the temple premises and maintain peace.
The viral claim that Gen Z protesters attacked the Pashupatinath Temple is false. The video is unrelated and has been online since July 14.
