On social media, an image of what appears to be an ancient etching of a man seated in front of a computer on a stone wall is going viral. According to claimers, it is a “historical” engraving that proves India was ahead of other civilizations. Some users claim the image is an engraving from a temple built by a Pallava king 1,400 years ago.
A twitter user Raushan Raj Rajput, tweeted about the photo claiming that there was a computer inscribed on the wall of Lalgiri temple built by Pallava king Narasimha 1400 years ago.
He tweeted, “The Lalgiri Temple built by Pallava King Narsimha 1400 years ago has a computer and electric wire with keyboard and all this built on a stone wall. How is it possible.”
He further said, “At that time, there was no electricity, no modern technical device, how could they have imagined it?”
Retweeting the tweet by Rajput, another twitter user, Praveen Khandewal who is also Secretary General, Confederation of All India Traders — “World’s largest body of traders & SME sector”, said, “This proves that India has always been a leader in technology, knowledge and other fields. Jai Bharti!”
Another such claim was made by Veere Vishal on Twitter. He said, “In Lalgiri temple built by Pallava king Narasimha 1400 years ago, a computer and keyboard with electric wire and all these are built on a stone wall, how can it be?”
He also said, “Then it was not even modern electricity, it was not even modern technical equipment, how would they have imagined it..?”
We found similar claims on Facebook with approximately the matching caption and image.
Find more claims across social media here, here, and here.
FactO Check:
We received multiple requests to verify the image. A simple Google reverse image search led us to the website “Strange Horizons.” The website detailed an artwork called “Future Ancestors” by Raul Cruz as part of its October 9, 2006 issue, displaying the same viral image. Raul’s work, inspired by Aztec and Mayan art, is said to combine traditional elements with science fiction and fantasy themes.
Upon further investigation, we also came across the same viral image featured on a science fiction book cover page. The book goes by the name “Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain (Early Classics of Science Fiction)”.
We also searched for the book and found that book is real and is edited by
Conclusion:
From the above findings, we conclude that the viral photo is not a stonework on the wall of the Lalgiri temple built by Pallava king Narasimha as being claimed on social media but a digital artwork by Raul Cruz.