Update (16 August 2023):
In view of the ongoing investigation of the alleged Shivling found under the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, another social media post claims that carbon dating has revealed that Kashi Vishwanath Shivling is 8 thousand years old.
Because the legal case involving the purported Shivling discovered at the Gyanvapi mosque is currently being heard in the Supreme Court (SC), the Shivling referred to in the post seems to be related to the structure found in the mosque, abutting the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
However, as per the latest developments related to the investigation of the alleged Shivling are concerned, the Varanasi District court has extended the deadline for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present its report based on the scientific survey by 02 September 2023.
Furthermore, there exists a gag order preventing the disclosure of the findings from the ongoing investigation. Hence, the viral assertion lacks a factual basis and is instead a work of fiction without any evidence.
Published (11 August 2023):
In the context of the ongoing Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) comprehensive survey and scientific examination at the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, aimed at determining whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure, a post is currently circulating on social media claiming that a one-thousand-foot ‘shivling’ has been discovered in the basement beneath the mosque. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: One-thousand-foot ‘shivling’ has been discovered in the basement beneath the Gyanvapi mosque during the ongoing ASI survey.
Fact: The ASI Survey is currently ongoing and has not yet reported any discovery of a thousand-foot ‘shivling’ beneath the Mosque. Additionally, the Varanasi court has directed both the ASI and the Mosque Committee not to disclose any information regarding the survey to the media. The court has also cautioned the media against publishing false news related to the ASI Survey. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to media reports (here, here, and here), the ASI resumed its survey of the Gyanvapi premises on 04 August 2023. This resumption follows an earlier survey conducted in May 2022 that was halted by a court order. The aim of this survey is to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure.
While the survey is currently ongoing, and the deadline for submitting the report to the court has been extended until 02 September 2023, a few media outlets have claimed that various items, such as a four-foot idol, Trishul, and Kalash, have been discovered during the ASI investigation. However, on 10 August 2023, the Varanasi court took the step of prohibiting media coverage of the ongoing scientific survey of the contentious Gyanvapi mosque by the ASI. The court order was issued in response to a plea by the Mosque Committee, which argued that the media had been spreading sensational claims about the survey’s findings. Furthermore, the Court directed both the ASI and the Mosque Committee not to disclose any information regarding the survey to the media and warns the media against publishing false news on ASI Survey.
Also, according to Dainik Bhaskar, the image shared in the viral post was taken during the commission survey of Gyanvapi Mosque in May 2022 and is not recent.
To sum it up, there is no evidence to support the claim that the ASI survey has discovered a thousand-foot Shivling beneath the Gyanvapi mosque.
