A video showcasing a sparkling statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy is being widely shared across social media platforms (here, here, here, here, and here). The claim accompanying the video suggests that it depicts a 3000-year-old Anantha Padmanabhaswamy statue made of 7,800 kg of pure gold, 7,80,000 diamonds, and 780 carats of diamonds. Through this article, let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows a 3,000-year-old ancient Anantha Padmanabhaswamy statue made of 7,800 kg of pure gold and 780,000 diamonds.
Fact: The statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy shown in the viral video is not 3,000 years old. This video features a statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy created in 2023 by Hyderabad-based Shiv Narayan Jewellers. This statue was crafted using approximately 2.8 kg of gold and around 75,000 diamonds. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To gather details about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to the same video (archived link) uploaded on an Instagram page named “ilovetrichy” on 06 August 2023. The description of the video states that the statue featured in it was made by Shiv Narayan Jewellers. It also mentions that the idol was crafted using approximately 2.8 kg of gold and about 75,000 diamonds. During this search, we also found several social media posts (here, here, & here) sharing a similar video of the same statue in August 2023, where it was claimed that the statue was made by Shiv Narayan Jewellers from Hyderabad.
Taking this as a cue to gather more information about the golden statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This search led us to multiple news reports (here, here, here, and here) published in August 2023, featuring the same statue. According to these reports, the golden statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy was crafted by Shiv Narayan Jewellers from Hyderabad in August 2023. Speaking to the news website ‘Money control’, Tushar Agarwal, Managing Director of Shiv Narayan Jewellers, said: “The statue was inspired by the idol that resides in the Shri Ananth Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The statue measures 8 inches in height and 18 inches in length. It was handcrafted by 32 artisans, each working 16 hours a day for two months. This exquisite piece weighs around 2.8 kg and is adorned with approximately 75,000 high-quality diamonds, totalling an astounding 500 carats. Additionally, it is embellished with Colombian emeralds and natural Burmese rubies.” Shiv Narayan Jewellers also shared a video of this Padmanabhaswamy statue on their Instagram page in August 2023 (here). From all this information, it is evident that the viral video does not depict a 3000-year-old Padmanabhaswamy statue.
Shiv Narayan Jewellers has a long history of creating gold and diamond statues and ornaments of deities. The idol of Anantha Padmanabha was created in this manner (here, here, & here).
To sum it up, this viral video features a statue of Anantha Padmanabhaswamy created in 2023 by Hyderabad-based Shiv Narayan Jewellers.
