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An image has been shared hundreds of times in multiple Facebook posts that claim it shows a Hindu God displayed on billboards in New York’s Times Square this morning. The claim is false; the photo has been digitally manipulated to include an image of a Hindu God. The image was published here on Facebook on August 2, 2020. (Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post) The post’s caption reads: Shri Ram being honoured at time square. Proud moment. Share, comment, Jai Shri Ram. Times Square is a major commercial intersection and tourist destination in the Manhattan area of New York city. Jai Shree Ram is a Hindi expression that translates to victory to Hindu Lord Rama . The image was also shared alongside similar claims on Facebook here , here and here . The claim, however, is false. A Google search using the keywords ‘Times Square billboard generator’ found the exact template of the Times Square billboard on this website. The photo has been mirrored. Below is a screenshot comparison with some identifying features of the misleading photo (L) and billboard generator photo circled in red by AFP (R) A reverse image search on Google found a similar photo of Times Square in New York published on this website. Below is a screenshot comparison of the Facebook post photo (L) and wallpapertip.com photo (R): The misleading photo has been mirrored after adding images on the billboard generator website. The photo found on wallpapertip.com has been available on several blog posts for almost a decade, for example here in 2011 and here in 2015. Further, one of the pictures used in the misleading post has text written on the bottom that reads as: Alamy stock photo. The photo was published in December 2016 here on the Alamy, an online stock photography agency. The caption reads as: Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman hindu temple. Avatar of Vishnu. Lord Rama 7th incarnation. This temple is located here in Singapore. Below is a screenshot comparison of the photo in a misleading post (L) and Alamy stock photo (R): On August 5, 2020, a model of Ram Temple, an image of Ram and the Indian flag was shown on a Times Square LED billboard, as reported here by Indian news agency ANI and here by Indian newspaper Indian Express.
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