Fact-Check: Old Image From India Shared As Flooded Temple in Bangladesh

The image is from 2019 and shows the Kapil Muni temple in Gangasagar, West Bengal.

Fact-Check: Old image of temple in India shared as one from Bangladesh.

(Source: The Quint) 

An image of a flooded temple is being shared on social media platforms as one from Bangladesh.

The claim: Those sharing wrote, "India opened their Dams, created floods. A mandir in Bangladesh is now under water."

Several such claims have been seen recently, accusing India for the flooding in Bangladesh.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: The claim is false.

• Team WebQoof was able to trace this image back to 2019. It shows the flooding around Kapil Muni temple in Gangasagar, West Bengal.

What we found: First, we ran a Google and Yandex reverse image search on the image and came across two reports from The Hindu and DownToEarth magazine from 2019.

• These reports included images similar to the viral image and upon comparing the two, we could see the several similarities.

• The viral image seems to be mirrored in the social media posts.

Here are the similarities between the two. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• These reports stated that the temple faced rising sea levels and could be submerged in a few years.

• Other reports by the Statesman and ETV also included similar images of the temple.

• We also checked the location on Google Maps which was also similar to the viral claim.

Here is the Google Street view image which matches with the structure of the temple in the viral image. 

(Source: Google Map/Screenshot) 

• A report by The Telegraph from July stated that a team of experts was to visit the temple to find a solution for the erosion caused by sea levels in the area.

Present situation in Bangladesh: The death toll in Bangladesh increased to 71 due to the devastating floods in the country. Amid this, there are concerns about diseases spreading as the floodwaters recede.

• The floods, caused by continuous monsoon rains and water flowing down from higher areas, have caused extensive damage and impacted a significant number of people over the last fourteen days, reported Reuters.

• Previously, the neighbouring country had blamed India for causing the major floods by opening the Dumbur dam in Tripura. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India refuted these claims.

• The Quint has previously fact-checked other claims about the floods in Bangladesh which have blamed India for its alleged contribution to the devastation. You can read our reports here and here.

Conclusion: An old image of a temple in India is being shared with the false claim that it shows a flooded Hindu temple in Bangladesh.

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