No, The Viral Image Doesn’t Show Jawaharlal Nehru Taking the “Holy Dip” At Allahabad Kumbh Mela In 1938.

Recently, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks on the Mahakumbh Mela “Holy Dip” stirred up controversy. Against this backdrop, an image of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, went viral on social media. The image shows Jawaharlal Nehru standing in knee-deep water of a river. Sharing the image, social media users are claiming that in 1938, Nehru took the “holy dip” at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. Sharing the image on Facebook, a user wrote, “In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru participated in a sacred ritual by taking a holy dip in the sacred waters of Prayagraj during the Kumbh Mela, a significant event in Hindu tradition. If anyone is acquainted with Mr. Kharge, please share this intriguing historical detail with him.”

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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was misleading. The image shows Jawaharlal Nehru performing his mother’s last rituals at Haridwar. Here’s the fact check.

We started our investigation by conducting a reverse image search. This led us to know tweet on 28 May 2023, where the viral photo was uploaded with the caption, “The photo you posted is of Nehru doing ‘Antim kriya karma’ upon his Mother’s death!  It’s not public display of religiosity or superstition. Have some semblance of decency ffs!”

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The image had text written on it as “ENDURING TRAGEDY: Jawaharlal Nehru immersing his mother’s ashes in Allahabad”

Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to an article published in India Today on 6 March 2006. The headline of the article read, “Book review: ‘The Nehrus: Personal Histories’ by Mushirul Hasan & Priya Kapoor”.

The viral image was there in the article amongst the other images of Jawaharlal Nehru. The caption of the image was, “ENDURING TRAGEDY: Jawaharlal Nehru immersing his mother’s ashes in Allahabad”.

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It is worth mentioning that Jawaharlal Nehru’s mother, Swarup Rani Nehru, died on 10 January 1938.

Moving forward, we found the same image uploaded on a website with the caption, “Nehru after immersing his mothers ashes at Allahbad”. The description of the image read, “Nehru’s Farewell: A Private Grief Amidst Public Service. This poignant image shows Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, performing a deeply personal ritual that ties him to his cultural roots.”

Further, upon investigation, we came to know that in 1938, the Kumbh Mela was held at Haridwar, not Allahabad (now Prayagraj). In the 1938 Haridwar Maha Kumbh, two disasters took place. A fire broke out at a slum along Ganga and there was a cholera outbreak at the mela premises. Both disasters led to huge loss of life and property. People fled the mela premises.

This makes it clear that the viral image of Jawaharlal Nehru is not from Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The image shows Nehru performing his mother’s last rituals in Allahabad in 1938.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The viral image of Jawaharlal Nehru doesn’t show him taking the “Holy Dip” at Allahabad Kumbh Mela in 1938. In the image, Jawaharlal Nehru can be seen performing his mother’s last rituals in Allahabad in 1938. Moreover, the 1938 Kumbh Mela was held at Haridwar, not Allahabad (now Prayagraj).