Holger Kersten: "It is simply of
vital importance to find again the path to the sources, to the
eternal and central truths of Christ's message, which has been
shaken almost beyond recognition by the profane ambitions of more
or less secular institutions arrogating to themselves a religious
authority. This is an attempt to open a way to a new future, firmly
founded in the true spiritual and religious sources of the
past".
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!
The 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.
http://www.spinninglobe.net/jesusinindia.htm