A video (here, here, & here) is being widely shared on social media, claiming to show Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in Varanasi during the 2025 Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on 13 January 2025. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bill Gates at Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in Varanasi during 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
Fact: There is no evidence to confirm that the person in the viral video is Bill Gates. Additionally, the video has been available online since December 2024, predating the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela. Therefore, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we searched the internet using relevant keywords about Bill Gates’ visit to India for the Kumbh Mela but couldn’t find credible media reports confirming such a visit. Bill Gates’ social media accounts also didn’t mention any information about his visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela. His last public visit to India was in February 2024.
Next, we conducted a reverse image search and found that the same video (archive) was uploaded to the YouTube channel ‘Gulluck’ on 24 December 2024. The video claimed to show a foreign citizen resembling Bill Gates in Varanasi. The channel also posted another video of the same person, satirically referring to him as a “duplicate Bill Gates,” who had visited Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.
Although the person in the video bears some resemblance to Bill Gates, a closer comparison reveals that he is not Bill Gates.
When Aaj Tak contacted the original uploader, Dipankar Yadav, he stated that during his trip to Varanasi in November 2024, he saw a group of foreign tourists at Manikarnika Ghat, one of whom resembled Bill Gates. As a result, he made a satirical video about it. Dipankar also mentioned that there were no security personnel with the individual, confirming he was a random foreign tourist.
To sum up, an old video of an unrelated foreign tourist has been falsely shared as Bill Gates participating in the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
