A photo through a post is being shared on social media claiming that the person is an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas.
Fact: The photo is not of an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas. The person in the picture is Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj who was performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ in Haryana. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj is well-known in Rindhana village in Haryana as he performs the ‘Agni Tapasya’ quite frequently near the Sheetla Mata Mandir in Sonipat District. Photos and videos of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ can be seen on his Facebook and YouTube channels. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Facebook post with a similar picture was found. The picture was posted on 18 June 2019 on the Facebook page of ‘Baba sarbangi I’. The person in the picture is Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj. The viral photo had been shared in black and white, whereas the original picture is in colour and is not a black and white picture- the jug and other things are in colour. The picture does not look like a person with ice on him, it looks like ash or dirt.
Videos of Shri Mahant Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ can be seen here and here. The visuals in these videos match the posture and surroundings of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj in the photo. The thing on Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj can be the ashes that come with the fire upon performing the ‘Agni Tapasya’. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj’s photo in different angles can also be seen on the same Facebook page, here and here. Nowhere in these pictures does he look like an ice-clad Yogi in the Himalayas. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj is well-known in Rindhana village in Haryana as he performs the ‘Agni Tapasya’ quite frequently near the Sheetla Mata Mandir in Sonipat District.
To sum it up, a photo of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ in Haryana is shared as an ice-clad Yogi in the Himalayas.
