Unrelated Images Going Viral Linking To The Sambhal Jama Masjid Survey.

Recently, a post showing a collage of four pictures went viral on social media. The collage shows a statue of Lord Vishnu, Sudarshan Chakra and Shivling. Users are sharing this post claiming that during the survey of a Mughal-era mosque in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, a 1,500-year-old statue of Lord Vishnu, Sudarshan Chakra, and Shivling has been found. Sharing the image on Facebook, a user wrote, “1500 years old Vishnu statue, Sudarshana Chakra, Hindu symbols found in Sambhal Masjid survey 🙏 Every Hindu share and save Hinduism”

Facebook Link | Archived Link.

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The image is not related to Sambhal Jama Masjid. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started checking news reports about the viral post to find out if such news had surfaced. However, we could not find any facts that confirm the viral claim.

Conducting a reverse image search, we found a tweet on the official X handle of NDTV on 7 February 2024. The caption of the post read, “Centuries-Old Vishnu Idol, Shivling Found In Karnataka Riverbed”

X Link | Archived Link 

Among the images uploaded on the tweet, three images were similar to the viral collage.

Moving forward, we found a report published in NDTV on 6 February 2024. The report read, “A centuries-old Vishnu idol and a Shivling were recovered from the Krishna riverbed near the Telangana-Karnataka border, officials said on Wednesday.

The recovery was made during a bridge construction in Raichur, Karnataka. It is believed the idols could date back to 1,000 years.

The Vishnu idol and the Shivling are now in the possession of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The Vishnu idol resembles the feature of Ram Lalla statue installed at the newly inaugurated Ram temple in Ayodhya. The Ram Lalla statue was carved by Arun Yogiraj, a popular sculptor from the state.

The Vishnu idol is in a standing position with an aura around it depicting the 10 avatars.”

Further, we found the same three images in the report published in The Times Of India and on the news channel TV9 Kannada. These reports confirmed that the Vishnu Idol and Shivling have nothing to do with the Sambhal Jama Masjid.

Looking for the fourth image in the collage, which was claimed to be the Sudarshan Chakra, we found it on an online shopping website “Indiamart“. The description written there revealed that it is a vase with Sudarshan Chakra made of brass metal and it is prepared and sold by Hyderabad-based Kolcharam Art Creation.

It is worth mentioning that the first survey of Sambhal Mosque was conducted on 19 November 2024, whereas according to the evidence we have received, these idols were found in February 2024. This makes it clear that the images of the idols in the viral collage have nothing to do with the Sambhal Jama Masjid survey.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The images in the viral collage have nothing to do with the Sambhal Jama Masjid. The Vishnu Idol and Shivling were found in a riverbed in Karnataka in February 2024 and the image of the Sudarshan Chakra was taken from the Indiamart website.