Last week, Bangladesh Bank announced the release of several newly designed banknotes featuring different images. News reports also mentioned that the 20 Taka note would feature images of the Kantajew Temple and a Buddhist temple. Amid these announcements, a photo claiming to show a new 20 Taka note featuring the Kantajew Temple began circulating widely on social media. The same caption has been shared alongside the photo across various Facebook accounts and pages.

The image posted from a Facebook page named ‘Ashraf Ali Nizampuri’ on Monday, May 26 at 4:11 PM has been the most widely circulated. The caption reads, “Using an image is not the same as using a temple! The new 20 Taka note features the Kantajew Temple, located in Dinajpur, a border district of Bangladesh. The Kantajew Temple is recognized as a major symbol of the Hindu community. ‘Kanta’ means Krishna, ‘Jew’ means to live or be immortal, and ‘Kantajew’ means ‘O Krishna, live eternally’. If someone donates a 20 Taka note into a mosque's donation box, it would be tantamount to symbolically placing a temple inside a mosque. Who is behind this? I believe those doing this are undoubtedly trying to provoke Muslims and create disorder in the country through a well-planned conspiracy. This note must be changed before it is circulated, it has to be changed.” (Original spelling retained)

By 12 PM on Tuesday, the photo had received 1,500 reactions, 230 comments, and 938 shares. Many commenters claimed the 20 Taka note was fake, while others reacted as if the information were true. A Facebook user named Abu Muhammad Azizi wrote, “I strongly demand a boycott of this note… everyone raise your voice together.” Another user, Mohammad Ariful Islam, commented, “We all demand that this note be changed as soon as possible.”

The same image with the same caption has also been posted by accounts named Taher Ahmed, RX Razin, and a page titled Alhamdulillah.

To verify whether Bangladesh Bank has indeed released such a 20 Taka note, the fact-checking department of Ajker Patrika searched the central bank’s website. The image being circulated was not found in the list of current banknotes on the site.

In addition, several inconsistencies are noticeable in the viral image of the 20 Taka note. For instance, all existing notes listed on the Bangladesh Bank website include a publication year beneath the monogram of the central bank. However, the circulated note lacks this detail.

Moreover, the circulated note uses the spelling “Kantajiu Temple,” while the official website of the Bangladesh Tourism Corporation spells it as “Kantaji Temple,” and most media reports use “Kantajew Temple.” The spelling “Kantajiu Temple” is not found in any credible source.

To confirm whether Bangladesh Bank has published any new design of the 20 Taka note, the fact-checking team of Ajker Patrika contacted K.M. Ibrahim, Director of the Currency Management Department at the central bank. When informed about the viral image on social media, he stated, “This 20 Taka note is fake.”

Therefore, the claim that the new 20 Taka note features an image of the Kantajew Temple, as seen in the viral photo circulating on social media, is false. The image was not issued by Bangladesh Bank and is either edited or fabricated.

Original News Source: https://www.ajkerpatrika.com/fact-check/fact-check-national/ajpuusb4q0iqr