Fact Check: No idols were found at Sambhal mosque survey. Social media posts are fake

Three idols in the viral social media image were found in Karnataka in February 2024, months before the Sambhal mosque survey was conducted.

Social media posts shared four images of idols of Hindu gods, falsely claiming these were found during the Sambhal mosque survey. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

A collage of four images has been shared online, claiming that 1,500-year-old idols were discovered during the survey of a Mughal-era mosque in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district. The collage shows Shivling (a cylindrical idol representing the Hindu god Shiva), two idols of the Hindu god Vishnu, and another item resembling the Sudarshan Chakra (a discus wielded by Vishnu). 

A Facebook user shared the collage with the caption in Telugu, which translates to, “1500-year-old Vishnu statue, Sudarshana Chakra, and Hindu symbols discovered during the survey of Sambhal Mosque. Every Hindu should share and save Hinduism.” Archives of similar posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of posts shared online. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

The claim surfaced after a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid located in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal led to violent clashes in which five people were killed. A local court ordered the controversial survey after hearing a petition that claimed that a Hindu temple once existed on the land where the mosque was built. 

However, the claim that the idols were recovered in Uttar Pradesh is false. Three idols in the image were found in the southern Indian state of Karnataka in February 2024, before the mosque survey was conducted. 

 

Here are the facts

A reverse image search on the images in the viral collage led us to an X post by NDTV (archived here) on 7 February 2024. The caption reads, “Centuries-Old Vishnu Idol, Shivling Found In Karnataka Riverbed.” Three of the images seen here match those shared in the now-viral claim. 

Comparison of Facebook post and NDTV X post. (Source: Facebook/X)

A detailed report by NDTV stated that on 6 February 2024, a 1,000-year-old Vishnu idol and the Shivling were recovered from the Krishna riverbed in an area called Shakti Nagar in the southern Indian state of Karnataka’s Raichur district. The report added that the idols were recovered during the bridge construction and were handed over to officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

These images were also published in reports by The Times of India and local news channel TV9 Kannada in February 2024, corroborating the details above. 

Logically Facts spoke to the person in charge of the Karnataka Archaeology Department in Raichur, who confirmed that the Vishnu idol and the Shivling were found in Raichur. 

Further, we traced the fourth image in the collage, showing the circular wheel believed to be the Sudharshan Chakra, to an online shopping website called Indiamart (archived here). The caption under the image reads, “Material: Brass Sudarshanachakra Kalasham, Temple.” According to the website, the material is manufactured and sold by Kolcharam Art Creations in Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana.

It is to be noted that the first round of the survey of the Sambhal mosque was held on 19 November 2024, months after these idols were recovered. 

The verdict

Three images of idols recovered in Karnataka and an image from a shopping website have been shared with the false claim that the idols were found during a survey of the mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh.

This story was originally published by Logically Facts as part of the Shakti Collective. Apart from the headline, excerpt and introduction, this story has not been edited by ThePrint staff.