This sculpture is in Karnataka not Naga Vasuki Temple in UP’s Prayagraj

A photo of a sculpture is being shared on social media with the claim that it is in the “Naga Vasuki temple” located in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

This is not a tree. It is carved in stone. No one knows who is the sculptor. This is in Naga Vasuki temple, Prayag.
We always feel proud about Tajmahal, ignoring vast cultural heritage which remained unnoticed even today. pic.twitter.com/yJhruFkLSZ

— Maj Gen Panwar B S🇮🇳 (@GenPanwar) July 10, 2021

This is not a tree. It is carved in stone. No one knows who is the sculptor. This is in Naga Vasuki temple, Prayag.

We always feel proud about Tajmahal, ignoring vast cultural heritage which remained unnoticed even today.@LostTemple7 pic.twitter.com/bhQc6BEBz1

— Chetan Rajhans © (@1chetanrajhans) July 9, 2021

The claim is widely circulating on both Twitter and Facebook.

Sculpture in Utsav Rock Garden, Karnataka

We performed a reverse image search on Google and came across a website called “Whereisthis.com” where this same photo was uploaded.

This is a user aggregated platform where a person raises a query regarding a place that they are looking for and others answer the question. A person had posted a query about the image and the website responded that the sculpture is located in the Utsav Rock Garden in Karnataka.

We looked at the website of Utsav Rock Garden and found a picture of the sculpture uploaded under the topic “Artistic Banyan Tree“.

The Utsav Rock Garden is a one-of-a-kind garden in India that showcases “rural life”. It is an artistic masterpiece filled with sculptures. The garden was envisaged and designed by renowned artist Dr T B Solabakkanavar. The garden holds around eight records for its distinctive world-class sculptures.

According to the description on its website,”The ‘Great Banyan Tree’ is a monumental tribute to the three great artists of Karnataka – Dr M. V. Minajigi, Shri D. V. Halabhavi and Shri T. P. Akki. Before independence, these artists established Fine Arts Colleges to develop art teachers and artists.”

“Banyan Tree is celebrated as a ‘Mother Nature’ (symbolically). Creativity explores ‘Nature’ as a Mother here. The artist has presented mother in nature with her kids hidden behind the branches and roots of the tree. Tree consists of several creatures like various birds, snakes, and monkeys which are all happy in nature. The roots of the Banyan Tree have been compared here to the knowledge. Like branches and roots of the Banyan Tree, Art also spreads over the earth and it creates happiness in surroundings,” adds the description.

Below we have embedded a video of the “Artistic Banyan Tree” which was uploaded on YouTube by the official channel of the Utsav Rock Garden.

The difference in the colour tones between the image of the sculpture on the website and the viral photo of the sculpture might confuse a few. We have highlighted similarities below to show that they are the same.

Alt News spoke with Prakash Dasanur, the founder of Dasanur Group and Utsav Rock Garden. He confirmed that the sculpture in the viral image is indeed the Artistic Banyan Tree but the photo is a few years old when the sculpture was still under construction. The sculpture was created by his wife Mrs Vedarani Dasanur along with a team of artists. Mrs Vedarani Dasanur is the Curator and Art Promoter of Utsav Rock Garden.

Hence, an image of a sculpture in Utsav Rock Garden in Karnataka was shared with the claim that it is from the Naga Vasuki Temple in Prayagraj, UP.