A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a picture of the famous Virabhadreshwara temple that emerged while demolishing a Mosque in Karnataka’s Raichur. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Picture of the Virabhadreshwara temple that emerged while demolishing a Mosque in Raichur, Karnataka.
Fact: In 2016, as part of a road-widening project, the Raichur district authorities demolished the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur. The Hindu communities in Raichur then alleged that the pillars emerged from the demolition have a resemblance to the sculptural pillars built in Hindu temples. However, the then Raichur District Magistrate clarified that these allegations made against the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur are baseless. The Virabhadreshwara or any other Hindu temple did not emerge while demolishing the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo, it is found that the same photo with a similar claim was circulating on social media at least since 2016. They can be seen here, here, and here. One of the users tweeted this photo claiming that a Hindu temple emerged while demolishing the ‘Ek Minar Masjid’ in Raichur, Karnataka. The Mosque photo shared in the post matches a photo of the ‘Ek Minar Mosque published on the ‘Trip Advisor website.
When we searched for further details of this religious site using these keywords, we found that the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ had published an article reporting this allegation of a Hindu temple emerging during the demolition of the Ek Minar Mosque in Karnataka. According to the article, the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur was demolished in 2016, as part of a road-widening project. Some Hindu groups living in Raichur then alleged that the pillars that emerged from the demolition have a resemblance to the magnificent sculptural pillars built in Hindu temples. The Raichur Hindu groups reportedly demanded the Karnataka government immediately investigate the history of the Ek Minar Mosque and clarify whether a temple had been built on the site earlier. However, nowhere in the article, it is confirmed that the pillars on the Ek Minar Mosque belong to the Virabhadreshwara or any other Hindu temple. ‘The Hindu’ News Agency has also published an article in 2016, reporting the details of the Ek Minar Mosque demolition in Raichur.
For further clarification, the ‘Alt News’ has contacted the former District Magistrate posted in Raichur when the orders for road-widening were passed in 2016. Speaking to the ‘Alt News’, the former District Magistrate said, “The information that is being shared on social media is untrue. When the demolition happened in Raichur, there were some traditional buildings. Ek Minar, which is a very old structure, was one of the buildings that was demolished for road widening. Such old structures have a variety of carvings, and it cannot be concluded that it was originally a temple from just one pillar. Some groups tried to make this claim, but when they were countered, they did not pursue with the claim”.
To sum it up, no Hindu temple has emerged while demolishing the Ek Minar Mosque in Raichur.
