Jesus
Lived in India
By Holger Kersten
Thus begins
Holger Kersten's book "Jesus Lived in India". This German book is a thorough,
methodical and authoritative examination of the evidence of Christ's life beyond the
Middle East before the Crucifixion and in India and elsewhere after it. This article is a
summary of Kersten's exhaustive research into Christ's travels after the Crucifixion, his
arrival in India with the Mother Mary and finally his death and entombment in Kashmir.
Kersten notes the many parallels of Christ's teachings with other religious and cultural
traditions and suggests that at least some of these figures may have been one and the same
personality. It is not possible, Kersten asserts, to disprove that Christ went to India.
The current information documenting Christ's life is restricted to the gospels and the
work of Church theologians. One can hardly trust these sources to be objective considering
their obvious interest in maintaining the authority of their Church and its grip on the
masses.
The Russian scholar, Nicolai Notovich, was the first to suggest
that Christ may have gone to India. In 1887, Notovich, a Russian scholar and
Orientalist,
arrived in Kashmir during one of several journeys to the Orient. At the Zoji-la pass
Notovich was a guest in a Buddhist monastery, where a monk told him of the bhodisattva
saint called "Issa". Notovich was stunned by the remarkable parallels of Issa's
teachings and martyrdom with that of Christ's life, teachings and crucifixion.
For about sixteen years, Christ travelled through Turkey, Persia,
Western Europe and possibly England. He finally arrived with Mary to a place near Kashmir,
where she died. After many years in Kashmir, teaching to an appreciative population, who
venerated him as a great prophet, reformer and saint, he died and was buried in a tomb in
Kashmir itself. The first step in Christ's trail after the Crucifixion is found in the
Persian scholar F. Mohammed's historical work "Jami-ut-tuwarik" which tells of
Christ's arrival in the kingdom of Nisibis, by royal invitation. (Nisibis is today known
as Nusaybin in Turkey) . This is reiterated in the Imam Abu Jafar Muhammed's
"Tafsi-Ibn-i-Jamir at-tubri." Kersten found that in both Turkey and Persia there
are ancient stories of a saint called "Yuz Asaf" ("Leader of the
Healed"), whose behaviour, miracles and teachings are remarkably similar to that of
Christ.
The many Islamic and Hindu historical works recording local
history and legends of kings, noblemen and saints of the areas thought to be travelled by
Jesus also give evidence of a Christ like man; the Koran, for example, refers to Christ as
"Issar". Further east, the Kurdish tribes of Eastern Anatolia have several
stories describing Christ's stay in Eastern Turkey after his resurrection. These
traditional legends have been ignored by the theological community. Kersten also suggests that prior to
Christ's mission in the Middle East, he may have been exposed to Buddhist teachings in
Egypt. After his birth in Bethlehem, his family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod's
persecution. Surprisingly some scholars now acknowledge that Buddhist schools probably
existed in Alexandria long before the Christian era.
More clues are drawn from the Apocrypha. These are texts said to
have been written by the Apostles but which are not officially accepted by the Church.
Indeed, the Church regards them as heresy since a substantial amount of the Apocrypha
directly contradicts Church dogma and theology. The Apocryphal 'Acts of Thomas', for
example, tell how Christ met Thomas several times after the Crucifixion. In fact they tell
us how Christ sent Thomas to teach his spirituality in India. This is corroborated by
evidence found in the form of stone inscriptions at Fatehpur Sikri, near the Taj
Mahal, in
Northern India. They include "Agrapha", which are sayings of Christ that don't
exist in the mainstream Bible. Their grammatical form is most similar to that of the
Apocryphal gospel of Thomas. This is but one example giving credibility to the idea that
texts not recognised by the Church hold important clues about Christ's true life and his
teachings.
In tracing Christ's movements to India and beyond, Kersten also
discovered that many of his teachings, which have been gradually edited out of the modern
Bible were originally Eastern in nature. Principles such as karma and re-incarnation, for
example, were common knowledge then, and seem to have been reaffirmed by Christ. Imagine
the implications that this discovery holds for Western Christianity and its churches, who
have kept Christ in their doctrinal top pockets and have constrained the entire Western
culture within the narrow teachings of blind faith, organised religion and original sin!
Further clues are cited from The Apocryphal Acts of Thomas, and the
Gospel of Thomas which are of Syrian origin and have been dated to the 4th Century AD, or
possibly earlier. They are Gnostic Scriptures and despite the evidence indicating their
authenticity, they are not given credence by mainstream theologians. In these texts Thomas
tells of Christ's appearance in Andrapolis, Paphlagonia (today known as in the extreme
north of Anatolia) as a guest of the King of Andrappa. There he met with Thomas who had
arrived separately. It is at Andrapolis that Christ entreated Thomas to go to India to
begin spreading his teachings. It seems that Christ and Mary then moved along the West
coast of Turkey, proof of this could be an old stopping place for travellers called the
"Home of Mary", found along the ancient silk route. From here Christ could
easily have entered Europe via France. He may have even travelled as far as the British
Isles, for in England there is an ancient oak tree called the "Hallowed Tree"
which (says local legend) was planted by Christ himself.
In his travels through Persia (today's Iran) Christ became known as Yuz Asaf
(leader of the Healed). We know this because a Kashmiri historical document confirms that
Isa (the Koranic name for Christ) was in fact also known as Yuz Asaf. The Jami - uf -
Tamarik, Volume II, tells that Yuz Asaf visited Masslige, where he attended the grave of
Shem, Noah's son. There are various other accounts such as Agha Mustafa's "Awhali
Shahaii-i-paras" that tell of Yuz Asaf's travels and teachings all over Persia. It
seems that Yuz Asaf blessed Afghanistan and Pakistan with his presence also. There are for
example two plains in Eastern Afghanistan near Gazni and Galalabad, bearing the name of
the prophet Yuz Asaf. Again in the Apocryphal Acts of Thomas, Thomas says that he and
Christ attended the Court of King Gundafor of Taxila (now Pakistan), in about 47AD, and
that eventually both the King and his brother accepted Christ's teachings. Kersten claims
that there are more than twenty one historical documents that bear witness to the
existence of Jesus in Kashmir, where he was known also as Yuz Asaf and Issa. For example
the Bhavishyat Mahapurana (volume 9 verses 17-32) contains an account of Issa-Masih (Jesus
the Messiah). It describes Christ's arrival in the Kashmir region of India and his
encounter with King Shalivahana, who ruled the Kushan area (39-50AD), and who entertained
Christ as a guest for some time.
{Christ's life in India, after the crucifixion, challenges
current Church teachings at their very foundation. The theology of Saint Paul, the major
influence on modern Christianity, is empty fanaticism in the light of this discovery.
The historian Mullah Nadini (1413) also recounts a story of Yuz Asaf who was a
contemporary to King Gopadatta, and confirms that he also used the name Issar,
ie. Jesus.
There is also much historical truth in the towns and villages of Northern India to prove
that Jesus and his mother Mary spent time in the area. For instance, at the border of a
small town called Mari, there is nearby a mountain called Pindi Point, upon which is an
old tomb called Mai Mari da Asthan or "The final resting place of Mary". The
tomb is said to be very old and local Muslims venerate it as the grave of Issa's
(ie
Christ's) Mother. The tomb itself is oriented East-West consistent with the Jewish
tradition, despite the fact it is within a Muslim area. Assuming its antiquity, such a
tomb could not be Hindu either since the Hindus contemporary to Christ cremated their dead
and scattered their ashes as do Hindus today.
Following Christ's trail into Kashmir, 40km south of
Srinagar,
between the villages of Naugam and Nilmge is a meadow called Yuz-Marg (the meadow of Yuz
Asaf, ie. Jesus). Then there is the sacred building called Aish Muqam, 60km south east of
Srinagar and 12km from Bij Bihara. "Aish" says Kersten is derived from
"Issa" and "Muqam" place of rest or repose. Within the Aish Muqam is a
sacred relic called the 'Moses Rod' or the 'Jesus Rod', which local legend says, belonged
to Moses himself. Christ is said to also have held it, perhaps to confirm his Mosaic
heritage. Above the town of Srinagar is a temple known as "The Throne of
Solomon", which dates back to at least 1000BC, which King Gopadatta had restored at
about the same time as Christ's advent. The restoration was done by a Persian architect
who personally left four inscriptions on the side steps of the temple. The third and
fourth inscription read: "At this time Yuz Asaf announced his prophetic calling in
Year 50 and 4" and "He is Jesus -- Prophet of the Sons of Israel"! Herein
lies a powerful confirmation of Kersten's theory. Kersten suggests that Christ may have
travelled to the South of India also, finally returning to Kashmir to die at the age of
approximately 80 years. Christ's tomb, says Kersten, lies in Srinagar's old town in a
building called Rozabal. "Rozabal" is an abbreviation of Rauza Bal, meaning
"tomb of a prophet". At the entrance there is an inscription explaining that Yuz
Asaf is buried along with another Moslem saint. Both have gravestones which are oriented
in North-South direction, according to Moslem tradition. However, through a small opening
the true burial chamber can be seen, in which there is the Sarcophagus of Yuz Asaf in
East-West (Jewish) orientation!
According to Professor Hassnain, who has studied this tomb, there are carved footprints on the grave stones and
when closely examined, carved images of a crucifix and a rosary. The footprints of Yuz
Asaf have what appear to be scars represented on both feet, if one assumes that they are
crucifixion scars, then their position is consistent with the scars shown in the Turin
Shroud (left foot nailed over right). Crucifixion was not practised in Asia, so it is
quite possible that they were inflicted elsewhere, such as the Middle East. The tomb is
called by some as "Hazrat Issa Sahib" or "Tomb of the Lord Master
Jesus". Ancient records acknowledge the existence of the tomb as long ago as 112AD.
The Grand Mufti, a prominent Muslim Cleric, himself has confirmed that Hazrat Isa Sahib is
indeed the tomb of Yuz Asaf!
Thus Kersten deduces that the tomb of Jesus Christ Himself is in
Kashmir!
he implications of Kersten's discovery are monumental. Christ's
life in India, after the crucifixion, challenges current Church teachings at their very
foundation. The theology of Saint Paul, the major influence on modern Christianity, is
empty fanaticism in the light of this discovery. Threatened also are the doctrines of
obedience to the Church, original sin, salvation through blind faith and the non-existence
of reincarnation, etc. Yet these ideas underlie the morality and ethics, (or lack of
them), that govern the entire Western social structure, from the legal system to medical
health care schemes. It is no wonder that the modern Churches and their secular interests
refuse to consider such a proposition as Kersten's!
The Synopsis of "Jesus Lived In India" by
Holger Kersten was written by Dr Ramesh Manocha & Anna Potts.
source:
http://www.sol.com.au/kor/7_01.htm
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