{"id":42685,"date":"2025-02-04T03:42:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T08:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/video-of-old-monk-falsely-linked-to-indias-kumbh-mela-mega-festival\/04\/02\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T03:42:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T08:42:27","slug":"video-of-old-monk-falsely-linked-to-indias-kumbh-mela-mega-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/video-of-old-monk-falsely-linked-to-indias-kumbh-mela-mega-festival\/04\/02\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Video of old monk falsely linked to India&#8217;s Kumbh Mela mega-festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">India&#8217;s Kumbh Mela festival attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful to Prayagraj in northern Uttar Pradesh state, but footage of an elderly monk making an offering at a shrine that circulated online is unrelated. The clip was filmed in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, while local media reported the monk died weeks before the world&#8217;s biggest religious gathering began on January 13, 2025.<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;A 154-year-old monk who came from the Himalayan mountains to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela,&#8221; read a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/XTR3-K3B2?type=standard\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Facebook post<\/a> from January 25 that showed a clip of a crowd watching an elderly monk at a Hindu shrine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hindi text overlaid on the clip reads: &#8220;154-year-old monk&#8221;.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on January 25, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The video surfaced with similar claims on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/69W8-4TK4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:X;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">X<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/GS6A-FEZH\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Instagram;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Instagram<\/a> as pilgrims from across India and beyond &#8212; expected to reach around 400 million &#8212; take part in the Kumbh Mela running from January 13 to February 26.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The millennia-old sacred show of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250110-india-s-kumbh-mela-world-s-largest-religious-gathering\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:religious piety;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">religious piety<\/a> is held every 12 years in Prayagraj at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20250116093031\/https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250110-india-s-kumbh-mela-world-s-largest-religious-gathering\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The ritual of bathing in the holy rivers is often led by a group of holy men, and then followed by thousands of pilgrims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">With its unfathomable throngs of devotees, the festival has a grim track record of deadly crowd crushes. On January 29, a chaotic pre-dawn crowd surge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/critics-image-concerns-behind-indian-111257104.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:killed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">killed<\/a> at least 30 people\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/HPF5-8DKQ\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Unrelated footage<\/h3>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The circulating video of the old man, however, was not filmed during the Kumbh Mela as the false posts claimed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A reverse image search on Google of the video&#8217;s keyframes found it posted on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/J6tsCroI404?si=QC529Yk-d11aPN0a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:YouTube;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">YouTube<\/a> on September 13, 2024 by a channel called &#8220;Viken Kushwah Official&#8221; (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/CEF7-JG8E\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;<span>Don&#8217;t know in which form God will be found,<\/span>&#8221; the Hindi-language video caption read.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (left) and the YouTube video (right)&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"868\" height=\"692\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/2spPfMmjHDxuVHV.s481iw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTc2NQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/7d72eb4214303d21b9d7d81298432bad\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot comparison of the video in the false post (left) and the YouTube video (right)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>AFP reached out to the YouTube channel&#8217;s owner Viken Kushwah, who identified the monk as <a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/new-updates\/siyaram-baba-devoted-to-lord-hanuman-and-the-narmada-river-passes-away-at-95-on-mokshada-ekadashi-and-gita-jayanti\/articleshow\/116197812.cms?from=mdr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Siyaram Baba;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Siyaram Baba<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/59G5-XWD5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>Kushwah described himself as a devotee of Siyaram Baba and has<\/span> shared hundreds of videos of him with his 1.4 million subscribers (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/59G5-XWD5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><span>He said he filmed the footage in the<\/span><span>\u00a0monk&#8217;s monastery\u00a0<\/span><span>on the banks of the Narmada River in Khargone district of central Madhya Pradesh state.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP confirmed the location of the video by comparing a shrine seen in the clip to an image of the monastery geotagged on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Sant+Siyaram+Baba+Aashram+Bhattyan\/@22.1602023,75.7624764,21a,37.9y\/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipPrBk-xXNz4XdwCKJJJs5Y0GraR14SvnU_cWIWv!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPrBk-xXNz4XdwCKJJJs5Y0GraR14SvnU_cWIWv%3Dw203-h270-k-no!7i3120!8i4160!4m9!3m8!1s0x39628634917fc217:0x9461b6dd1b861760!8m2!3d22.160201!4d75.7624768!10e5!14m1!1BCgIgAQ!16s%2Fg%2F11byxgn0kq?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDEyOS4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Google Maps;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Google Maps<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/NX8L-SPWF\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison between a scene from the YouTube video (left) and an image geotagged on Google Maps (right) with the same shrine highlighted by AFP&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"447\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/vYcRchjzO9mXZsaXKscMHQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQ0Nw--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/2d8fe3a3e7399ba7da22f4bd534078d8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Screenshot comparison between a scene from the YouTube video (left) and an image geotagged on Google Maps (right) with the same shrine highlighted by AFP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While AFP was not able to independently verify the monk&#8217;s age, the\u00a0Times of India <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/indore\/saint-siyaram-baba-of-khargone-passes-away-at-94-leaves-legacy-of-narmada-ghats-uplift\/articleshow\/116199569.cms\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:reported;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">reported<\/a> that he died\u00a0<span>on <\/span><span>December 11, 2024<\/span> aged 94 (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/F8VM-SGA3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP previously\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.36RY47M\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:debunked;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">debunked<\/a> a wave of <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.36T79VD\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:misinformation;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">misinformation<\/a>\u00a0around\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.36VQ8AV\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Kumbh Mela;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Kumbh Mela<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"269\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/1n2ZW5_1cgzMd.qT6HCBYA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI2OQ--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/afp_factcheck_us_713\/b256612e7bd34f56924b55b67d8fbb44\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-[4] size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/video-old-monk-falsely-linked-073743026.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India&rsquo;s Kumbh Mela festival attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful to Prayagraj in northern Uttar Pradesh state, but footage of an<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/video-of-old-monk-falsely-linked-to-indias-kumbh-mela-mega-festival\/04\/02\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}