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.sol.com.au/kor/7_01.htm
http://www.spinninglobe.net/jesusinindia.htm
