Amid the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and others to Earth on 18 March 2025, after spending over nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), two photos (here, here, here, and here) have been widely shared on social media. These photos are claimed to show the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela, allegedly captured by Sunita Williams from space. However, several users have raised doubts about the authenticity of these photos in the comments. Let’s verify the validity of these claims.
Claim: Photos of 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela captured by Sunita Williams from Space.
Fact: The first photo is an aerial view of the Haridwar ghats taken on 14 January 2021, while the second photo shows the Prayagraj Sangam, captured by ISRO’s EOS-04 satellite on 22 December 2024. Although Sunita Williams’ cousin reportedly said she sent a Kumbh Mela photo from the ISS, and NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit shared images of Maha Kumbh Mela on 27 January 2025, the viral photos in question are not from the ISS. Therefore, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to the original, uncropped version uploaded on the stock photo website Alamy. The description states that the photo was taken on 14 January 2021 and depicts people taking a holy dip in the Ganges at the Kumbh Nagari in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Similar aerial photos showing these visuals from Haridwar can be found here, here, and here.
A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to the original image uploaded on the website of India’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC). The description states that the photo was captured by EOS-04 (RISAT-1A) on 22 December 2024. It shows the Prayagraj Sangam and a zoomed-in section of the River Ganges, highlighting the temporary pontoon bridges arranged for the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
EOS-04 (Earth Observation Satellite-04), formerly known as RISAT-1A, is a radar imaging satellite developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is designed to provide high-quality images under all weather conditions for applications such as agriculture, forestry, soil moisture monitoring, hydrology, and flood mapping.
However, according to media reports (here & here), Sunita Williams’ cousin, Falguni Pandya, said that Sunita had sent her a photo of the Kumbh Mela taken from the International Space Station (ISS). Additionally, on 27 January 2025, NASA astronaut Donald R. Pettit shared photos of the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela taken from the ISS. At that time, Sunita Williams was aboard the ISS alongside Donald R. Pettit and other astronauts.
To sum it up, ISRO’s Satellite Image of Kumbh Mela Falsely Circulated as Sunita Williams’ ISS Photo.
