Old image of Dalai Lama worshiping a shivalinga shared with false claim

Hyderabad: An image of Dalai Lama worshiping a shivalinga has resurfaced on social media.

The text in the viral post reads, "Dalai Lama swore that he would not worship fake Buddhist deities while worshiping Lord Shiva." (Translated)

Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th Dalai Lama who describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk. Dalai Lama is a man of peace who believes in religious harmony and equality.

It's quite hard to believe that Dalai Lama would make such a statement as mentioned in the viral post.

Let's find out the truth behind the viral photo.

FACT CHECK

NewsMeter performed a keyword search and found an article on the Dalai Lama's official website. The article titled "Dalai Lama Visits Religious Places" and dated 18 July 2012 said Dalai Lama was on a six-day visit to Kashmir Valley, to pay obeisance at various religious places.

The article mentioned the event and the places he visited in India. We carefully analysed the article but found no quotes or comments on "fake Buddhist deities."

Moreover, the article said during his six-day visit to Kashmir Valley, the Dalai Lama paid obeisance at religious places of different faiths. "The spiritual leader prayed for peace and prosperity in the world, especially in the state," it added.

On performing a reverse image search, we landed on a YouTube video titled "The Dalai Lama Visits Shiv Temple Rainawari" which also includes the scene from which the viral image has been taken.

We also found the same image on Pinterest. The description said, "Buddhist Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama paying tributes at Gupt Ganga Shiv Temple on Tuesday'.

Lastly, we found no media reports reporting such comments by the Dalai Lama.

Hence, it is evident that the Dalai Lama visited temples to pray for peace and harmony. Hence, the viral claim is false.