'Historical' engraving of a man using a computer that went viral is actually a modern artwork.
With the claim that it was created in India 1,400 years ago, during the reign of a Pallava King, an image of an ostensibly old sculpture has gone viral. An electrical wire is attached to the sculpture of a person using a computer while seated. At a time when modern electricity hadn’t even been invented, users were astounded by India’s technological advancements. (Archive)
कि तब धरती पर आधुनिक बिजली भी नहीं थी,||
— 🚩राष्ट्रवादी भारतीय🚩 (@RVDhindustani) January 30, 2023
~ धरती पर आधुनिक तकनीकी यंत्र भी नहीं थे,||
~ जबकि प्रमाण हमारे मंदिरों की दीवारों पर है लेकिन हम मन्दिर जाते हीं नहीं हैं ,||🤔#सनातन_धर्म_सर्वश्रेष्ठ_है
The viral claims were made in August 2022.(Archive)
1400 साल पहले पल्लव राजा नरसिंह द्वारा निर्मित लालगिरी मंदिर में एक कम्प्यूटर तथा कीबोर्ड के साथ बिजली का तार और ये सब पत्थर की दीवार पर बनाई गई हैं, यह कैसे हो सकता है..?
— Veere Vishal (@VeereVishal) August 8, 2022
तब ये आधुनिक बिजली भी नहीं थी, ये आधुनिक तकनीकी यंत्र भी नहीं थे, उन्होंने इसकी कल्पना किस तरह की होगी..?🤔 pic.twitter.com/EFOZSqbpqN
On its Instagram and WhatsApp accounts, India Fake News has received numerous requests to confirm the veracity of the claim.
Fact Check
We were directed to the Mexican artist Ral Cruz’s ArtStation profile after conducting a reverse image search on the image, where this picture was identified as one of his original works of art. Four years have passed since the posting of the artwork, entitled Memory of the Future.
On his ArtStation “About” page, artist Ral Cruz describes himself as a freelance illustrator and fine artist. Cruz’s art is classified as Fantastic Art on the website. His work, which blends the past, present, and uncertain futures, is directly influenced by futurist aesthetics, science fiction, and Mesoamerican art. The viral art exhibits this quality clearly.
Furthermore, we discovered that the cover of a book titled “Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain” featured this piece of art. The Internet Speculative Fiction Database claims that Cruz is responsible for the cover’s creation.
As a result, a picture of an engraving of a man using a computer that appears to be ancient is going viral with the claim that the sculpture was created in India 1400 years ago during the reign of a Pallava King. Actually, the piece of art was made by Ral Cruz. 2018 saw the Instagram post from him.