Fact Check: Viral video of a church converted into a temple is not from Europe but USA
A video showing an old church being converted to a temple and the inauguration of Narasimha Swamy temple is being shared virally on social media with the claim that it shows ‘Church converted to Narasimha Swamy Temple in Europe’.
Claim :
A viral video shows a Church converted to Narasimha Swamy temple in Europe.Fact :
The video shows the Church being converted to Narasimha Swamy Temple in Elmira, New York, USA, and not Europe.
A video showing an old church being converted to a temple and the inauguration of Narasimha Swamy temple is being shared virally on social media with the claim that it shows ‘Church converted to Narasimha Swamy Temple in Europe’. The video shows the cross on the Church being replaced by the Hindu symbol “Chakra” and Hindu acharyas performing traditional rituals inside and outside the building during the consecration ceremony.
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. When we searched on Google with the keywords “Church converted to Temple”, we found a YouTube video published by a YouTube channel named ‘Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda’ with the title “A Church has been converted into a temple. It in Upstate New York”. This video was published on September 13, 2023.
The video is an extended version of the viral video showing the same visuals of Hindu rituals performed for the presiding deity Narasimha Swamy.
According to the caption on the video published on the Instagram account named Bhakti marga and Paramahamsa Vishwananda, a church has been converted into a temple. It’s in upstate New York. People have shown huge interest online in this temple and how it was evoked. This place has come to prominence due to the love of a master who has transformed the lives of thousands.
Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a spiritual master who is tirelessly spreading Sanatana Dharma throughout the world, the Paranitya Narasimha Temple in Elmira NY is a testament to that. Come and feel Divine Love firsthand. All are welcome! bhaktimarga.us/ashram
According to the press release published on hinduismtoday.com, In the small town of Elmira, New York, USA, Paramahamsa Vishwananda completed the inauguration of the Paranitya Narasimha Temple and ashram on September 3, 2023. It was the culmination of a massive undertaking by a mere handful of His American devotees and monks. Hundreds of people from around the world made the pilgrimage to attend the ceremony. Devotees from Russia, Brazil, Canada, India, and Africa all landed in the small town of Elmira to volunteer and help at this historic event.
Images of the temple inauguration are also published on flickr.com, showing glimpses of the church that has been converted into the temple.
The article published in weny.com states that the monks of ‘Bhakti Marga’ found a two-storey building that was formerly ‘Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church’ in West Elmira and renovated it into a temple and an ashram.
When searched with the keywords “Church converted to a Hindu temple in the UK”, we found articles on a few churches that have been converted to temples, but they are different from the visuals in the viral video.
Hence, the viral video shows the visuals of Narasimha Swamy temple inaugurated in New York, USA, and not in Europe. The claim is Misleading.
