On 10 January 2025, renovation work at Varanasi's Manikarnika Ghat led to the fracturing of a centuries-old madhi (circular platform). The platform, originally restored by the 18th-century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar in 1791, contained carved stone effigies of the queen.
What followed in the days after was a social media firestorm. Opposition leaders, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and Independent MP from Bihar, Pappu Yadav (a Congress supporter), took to X with incendiary allegations. Two specific claims dominated the outrage: first, that idols of Ahilyabai Holkar and Hindu deities had been broken and desecrated; second, that the Kumbha Mahadev Temple had been demolished.
Images purporting to show a damaged temple circulated widely. The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh—in Prime Minister Modi's own constituency—was accused of behaving like "invaders" destroying sacred heritage.
The political potency was obvious. Ahilyabai Holkar is revered for restoring hundreds of temples across India. Moreover, the Manikarnika Ghat is regarded as the most sacred cremation ground of Hinduism. The allegation that a Hindutva government had desecrated a legendary Hindu queen's legacy and demolished a Shiva temple at a most sacred site, was explosive.
There was just one problem: both claims were false.
What Actually Happened
The Khasgi Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Charities Trust has clarified the facts....
Were idols of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar broken? No. Was the Kumbha Mahadev temple demolished? No. On 10 January 2025, renovation work at Varanasi's Manikarnika Ghat led to the fracturing of a centuri...