Fact Check: 9th-century Shivling found in Vietnam passed off as those from Gyanvapi mosque

New Delhi, May 17: Amid the ongoing Gyanvapi Masjid row, several social media users have shared unrelated pictures of a structure that looks like a Shivling, discovered inside the mosque.

They claimed that the photo was from the court-mandated videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex.

"Mughal architecture is amazing! They always built an ancient Hindu temple in the basement first," posted a twitter user, along with hashtags for Gyanvapi Mandir, Shivling, and Varanasi.

When verified it was found that the viral image was not from Varanasi's Gyanvapi Masjid, but from Vietnam. The discovery was made at the world heritage site at My Son in Quang Nam Province of Vietnam.

In 2020, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also tweeted the photos of the Shivling, and said: "Reaffirming a civilisational connect. Monolithic sandstone Shiv Linga of 9th c CE is latest find in ongoing conservation project. Applaud @ASIGoI team for their work at Cham Temple Complex, My Son, #Vietnam. Warmly recall my visit there in 2011. A great cultural example of India's development partnership."

A statue of Shivling unearthed in Vietnam in 2020 was falsely shared as a Shivling reportedly discovered in the Gyanvapi Masjid complex. The images are not related to the ongoing Gyanvapi Masjid row.