Fact Check | Hindu idols unearthed in Karnataka falsely linked to mosque survey in UP’s Sambhal; Details inside

Weeks after violent clashes over a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh’ Sambhal claimed four lives, several social media users recently shared a collage claiming that it featured images of Hindu idols and artefacts found during the survey of the mosque. However, the PTI Fact Check Desk found in its investigation that the three of the four idols in the collage were those found in Karnataka in February this year, whereas the fourth image was taken from a shopping website. The collage of unrelated images was shared on social media with a false claim.

Four people were killed after violence erupted in Sambhal last month during protests by the Muslim community against the survey of the mosque which was ordered by a court after a petition claimed that it was the site of the Harihar temple and sought permission to worship there.

Claim

A Facebook user shared on December 8 a collage of four images, claiming that 1,500-year-old idols, including Shivling, two idols of Lord Vishnu, and a Sudarshan Chakra, were unearthed during a survey of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district. 

Here's the link, archive link, and screenshot of the social media post.

Investigation

The Desk ran the four images separately through Google Lens and came across a news report by NDTV, on February 7, 2024. 

The news article featured a 1,000-year-old Vishnu idol and the Shivling recovered by the authorities in Karnataka's Raichur district during construction of a bridge. These images exactly matched two of the idols in the collage. 

Here's the link and screenshot of the news article posted on February 7, 2024. 

Below is a combination image, which shows that two of the idols in the viral collage are the same as those featured in the news report.

To corroborate the details, the Desk conducted a customised keyword search and found a PTI report carried by Hindustan Times in February 2024. The report confirmed that the idols were discovered near the Krishna River in Karnataka, and its feature image matches the ones in the viral collage. 

Here's the link and the screenshot of the article posted by Hindustan Times. 

Below is a combination image, which shows that the images featuring in the news report are the same as those in the viral collage.

To trace the fourth image in the collage, depicting a Sudarshan Chakra, the Desk ran it through Google Lens and found the same image on shopping portal Indiamart.  

The artefact on sale was titled “Material: Brass Sudarshanachakra Kalasham, Temple.” 

Here's the link to the webpage and below is a screenshot of the same. 

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that three idols in the collage were discovered in Karnataka, while the fourth image came from a shopping website. The claim that these idols were found during a mosque survey in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is false.

CLAIM

Hindu idols and artefacts were discovered during a survey of mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

FACT

Three idols in the collage were found in February 2024 in Karnataka’s Raichur district. The fourth image, showing a Sudarshan Chakra, was traced to an online shopping website, Indiamart.

CONCLUSION

The claim of Hindu idols and artifacts being discovered during survey of a mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, is false. Three idols in the collage were found in Karnataka’s Raichur district earlier this year, whereas the fourth image, showing an artefact, was traced to an online shopping website, Indiamart.

This story was originally published by PTI Fact Check, and republished by Deccan Herald as part of the Shakti Collective.