No, this is not ‘newly renovated’ Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi

A video has been shared with the claim that it shows Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple after a recent renovation. The video features a grand temple with idols of several Hindu deities and a splendidly carved ceiling. A Facebook page named ‘World Of Divine’ amassed more than 11,000 views for the video at the time of writing. (Archive link)

The video is widespread on Facebook.

The clip was also posted on YouTube as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Fact-check

Alt News performed a reverse image search using stills from the viral clip. This led us to a YouTube video which was uploaded on August 21, 2020. The place of worship has been identified as Mani Mandir in Varanasi’s Durgakund. The same video can also be found on the temple’s website.

Several Facebook users also wrote that the video shows Mani Mandir.

To corroborate this, Alt News combed through images of the temple available on Google Maps. There are various similarities between the Google Maps photos and the video in question. A side-by-side comparison of the two is shown below.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It is noteworthy that the expansion and beautification of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi are underway. There have been reports of delays in work for the project due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally intended to be completed by August this year, the project is now slated to be finished by November.

Alt News asked Sunil Verma, CEO of Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, whether the Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises or its sanctum sanctorum will be renovated under the project. He informed, “The social media claim is wrong. Neither the temple nor its sanctum sanctorum will be renovated under the project. No changes will be made to the sanctum sanctorum of any ancient temples.”

A video of the Mani Mandir in Varanasi was falsely shared as newly renovated Kashi Vishwanath Temple.