Fact-Check: PM Modi Did Not Disrespect Hindu Deity at Pune’s Dagdusheth Temple

The image was taken when PM Modi was taking a parikrama after offering his prayers

PM Modi visited the temple on 1 August. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

A picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi showing his back to Hindu deity Ganesha at the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Temple in Pune is going viral on the internet.

What are the users saying?: Users have shared this photo with the claim that the Prime Minister is disrespecting the Hindu deity at the temple by turning his back and posing for the camera.

The photo was also shared by Y Satish Reddy, Chairman of the Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation and BV Srinivas, National President of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC).

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

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

What is the truth?: The viral claim is misleading.

• The image was taken when the PM was taking a parikrama or circumambulation (part of Hindu rituals) to offer his prayers.

• We found visuals on social media that match the viral image and show him turning in rounds in front of the idol.

How did we find out?: With a relevant keyword search on X, we came across videos of PM Modi taking a parikrama or circumambulation after offering his prayers.

• The visuals were shared by some X users, including Tehseen Poonawala.

(Archives of the post can be found here and here.)

• We compared this to the video of PM Modi's visit to the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Mandir in Pune posted by his YouTube channel and found that they were from the same visit.

Here is a comparison between the X users visual and YouTube video.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

• Apart from this, NDTV published an article on the controversy with respect to PM Modi.

• The Prime Minister also shared photos of his visit on his X account.

Conclusion: The viral image of PM Modi with folded hands and his back to the Hindu deity has been shared with a misleading claim that he disrespected God by 'turning his back.'

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