An image showing paper lanterns floating above the Golden Temple in Amritsar and being widely shared ahead of Diwali has turned out to be Photoshopped.
While the image has been shared by multiple social media pages with the caption, "Diwali celebrations in India Golden Temple, Harmandir Sahib, India," SM Hoax revealed that it was created by a visual artist Navkaran Brar by juxtaposing one photo on the other in 2017.
The image has been resurfacing every year around Diwali since then.
The image can be traced back to a travel website – World Nomads – which had published the original photo. It only shows a brightly lit Golden Temple with devotees lighting candles and oil lamps.
Further search shows that the second image is from the Loy Krathong festival - popularly known as the "Festival of Lights" - held in Thailand.
The image was initially shared on Twitter by Brar, who also clarified that it was edited and not real.
In spite of the clarification, the image was shared by multiple people without a disclaimer.
