‘Surreal’: Photo claiming Mt Everest visible from Bihar village goes viral

As many raised doubts, the Mukhiya assured that the picture was real and had been clicked by her from her own terrace. (Source: Ritu Jaiswal/ Twitter)

One positive impact of the lockdown has been a drastic drop in pollution levels around the world, including in India. As a fallout, people have been able to see distant things, like snow-capped mountains, from plains. Recently, people in Bihar reportedly woke up to seeing the world’s highest mountains from their village in Sitamarhi district.

A picture of Mount Everest, taken from a house in Singhwahini village in the district, is going viral on social media. The picture got everyone talking online after it was shared by Ritu Jaiswal, Mukhiya of Gram Panchayat Singhwahini on Twitter.

Sharing the zoomed-in image of the Himalayan peak from her village, Jaiswal wrote she could see it from her terrace. “Nature is balancing itself,” the woman wrote in Hindi. Adding that the lower mountains in the Himalayan range close to Nepal were sometimes visible from the village after heavy showers and clearer skies, she said it was for the first time in ages that Everest had been seen.

Geographically, the Sitamarhi district in Bihar is a part of the Tirhut Division of the state and is located near the Indo-Nepal border region. According to Google Maps, the distance between Sitamarhi and Mount Everest is approximately 205 km and aerial distance from this village is approximately 194 km.

हम सीतामढ़ी जिले के अपने गाँव #सिंहवाहिनी में अपने छत से #MtEverest देख सकते हैं आज। प्रकृति खुद को संतुलित कर रही है। नेपाल के नज़दीक वाले पहाड़ तो बारिश के बाद साफ मौसम में कभी कभी दिख जाते थे। असल हिमालय के दर्शन अपने गाँव से आज पहली बार हुए।#NatureisBalancing@KashishBihar pic.twitter.com/Ss3UHAzxWN

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 4, 2020

When someone asked the woman how she could ascertain it was Everest and not any other range, she explained the geographical position of the village and claimed that people who grew up in the village could see the mountain in their childhood in the 80s.

Becasue definitely when we can see snowy peak of the Himalayas, the highest ones can only be scene and everest is in the north east of our village and this pic is of north east. And my husband in their childhood used to see everest in 80s. So we are sure that its the same.

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 5, 2020

As many raised doubts, the Mukhiya assured that the picture was real and had been clicked by her from her own terrace.

जी कैसे नितेश जी? हमलोगों ने पूर्णतः वेरिफाई कर के डाला है। विशेषज्ञों से भी राय ले ली गई है। मैप देखिये। हमलोगों ने ठीक इसी दिशा में देखा है। pic.twitter.com/hVi7qbKbdh

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 5, 2020

It has been clicked by me from my terrace only.

— Ritu Jaiswal (@activistritu) May 4, 2020

This is not the first time Himalayan ranges and peaks have been visible from distant places. Earlier in April, Himachal’s Dhauladhar ranges were visible from Jalandhar in Punjab and recently, people in Saharanpur could see mountains in Uttarakhand.

Many people got into a conversation on the micro-blogging app to suggest it was indeed Mt. Everest, quoting references from published books.

Now some are saying what about curvature of earth. Then curvature of earth from this place allows the Mt Everest to be visible. If only visibility permits. Still not saying it must be Everest. But no better alternative theory has been yet suggested. pic.twitter.com/rJC5LIFYWH

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 5, 2020

Source of information please.

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) May 5, 2020

This is another book. The one I mentioned earlier I am searching for the book. pic.twitter.com/BqSBr3T1u7

— Prashant Bhujbal (@prashantbhujbal) May 5, 2020

People on Twitter were quite impressed and hoped we would continue to take care of the environment.

My father always told me he when he was growing up in our ancestral village in Bihar he could see the everest from his terrace. I never believed him and often made fun of him thinking it was a memory he made up. Today I will call him and apologise. https://t.co/ZkOJn1vyw0

— Mihul Bhatt (@OutRagingBull) May 5, 2020

I think it will be very useful to collect all these images of clear skies, no pollution , clean rivers. Once lockdown ends these should serve as a reminder of what we are doing to Prakriti Maa and inspire us to come up with strategies to avoid this damage.

— The Prince of Good Times (@Ak5985965) May 5, 2020

Wah ,looks like i have to visit my native place in Sitamarhi soon to capture this marvoulous picture, but it looks not possible to see this live but thankyou for sharing this pics so that I can see this atleast in real time pics. @activistritu … really amazed picture.

— Sachin Pathak (@SachinP079) May 5, 2020

Wonderful views after decade!! But for how long? As soon as the virus is gone humans will come out!!
Let’s work together! Learn from this lockdown!#thecycleofchange https://t.co/PYec4XZsKj

— Jagjeet Singh (@Jagjeet_So_what) May 5, 2020

😱😱😱😱😱😱
My brain can’t handle this. OMG! It implies so many things on so many levels! I’m giddy.
Hey Bhagwaan, make these visibility conditions permanent and perfect. https://t.co/i8XPmsKira

— 🕉 ರಾಹುಲ Rahul 🕉 (@HinduFirstOfAll) May 5, 2020

Wow… Awesome

— Priyanka Kumari (@Priyanka_SMI) May 5, 2020

Is this is true, then this seems nothing less than a miracle to me. https://t.co/jqm2FjvpkL

— Radhika (@Rado_Rani) May 5, 2020

Nature healing itself https://t.co/cCLXKKwimq

— Rajat Joshi (@rajatjoshi66) May 5, 2020

Waah!
What a sight to behold.

— rahul (@rahuliam1) May 4, 2020

Now this is a serious achievement!

— Tiki (@krishnalifeline) May 5, 2020

Positive effects of lockdown.

— DR. KAMAL GARG (@drkamalgarg1064) May 5, 2020

What a lovely view.

It’s like rebooting nature in true sense. #GreenRecovery

— Anish Singh (@anishsingh21) May 4, 2020

Marvellous….i dont think anyone in last 3 generation can claim to see it.

— Mayank Jaiswal (@mayankjaiswal78) May 4, 2020

Good to see it again in our childhood days it was normal to see Himalaya from my village Chilra .Well captured.👌

— Raghvendra (@raghvendragst) May 4, 2020

Himalay visible due to affect of Lockdown caused by COVID19

— Navneet Mishra (@Navneet71019778) May 5, 2020