Claim: An image shows a temple submerged in Bangladesh amid floods that were caused after India opened its dam gates.
Fact: The claim is false as the image does not show a temple in Bangladesh. The photo depicts the Kapil Muni Temple, located in the Indian State of West Bengal, which shares a border with Bangladesh.
On 21 August, X user @TuhinShihab posted (archive) a picture of a partially submerged temple in Bangladesh. He claimed: “India opened their Dams, created floods. A mandir in Bangladesh is now under water.”
Torrential rains have hit eastern Bangladesh hard, killing 13 and affecting more than 4.5 million people. Flooding has also affected northeastern areas of India, bringing the combined death toll of both countries to 36.
Amid the ongoing natural catastrophe, members of Bangladesh’s interim government have accused India of causing the floods by opening the dam gates in Tripura, an area that shares a border with Bangladesh. India has denied the allegations, stating that it’s a natural disaster and that parts of India have been flooded too.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched the image and found that the temple in the image is located in India, and not Bangladesh.
ETV Bharat’s article from December 2022 which reported on the water erosion of a temple called “Kapil Muni Temple” included the image of the partially submerged temple in the claim. The temple, located in Gangasagar in the West Bengal state of India, requires restoration as its structure has eroded with time due to sea tides, the report stated.
The West Bengal administration’s efforts to restore the temple and prevent erosion have failed over time, The Statesman reported last month.
The site is famous for hosting the Ganga Sagar Mela, an ancient Hindu festival that attracts hundreds of pilgrims every year.
Soch Fact Check also found similar images of the temple on the image hosting website Flickr, and on the travel guidance platform Trip Advisor. According to both platforms, the temple is located in the Indian state of West Bengal, and not Bangladesh.
Virality
The X post garnered 120,000 times and was liked 2,800 times.
It was shared on X here, here, here, here, here, here.
Conclusion: An image circulating on X does not show a water-logged temple in Bangladesh after the recent floods in the country. It shows the Kapil Muni Temple, which is actually located in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Background image in cover photo: CNN
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