Source: http://www.dollsofindia.com
The list of Jesus in India researchers and contributors covers the entire religious spectrum. All these people have been brought together on the common thread of ‘Jesus in India’ – but many have very different thoughts about it or draw very different conclusions from the research.
In Easter 2010, several international news organisations and mainstream newspapers around the world ran stories on the Rozabal Tomb in Srinagar, Kashmir.
Roza bal, or Rauza bol, which means “tomb of the prophet.”
The articles all stated a large increase in the number of visitors to the tomb in Kashmir in recent times. The news organisations, which included the BBC, The Times in Britain and The Times of India, suggested that there were two main reasons for the increased interest. One is that the latest version of the Lonely Planet travel guide for Kashmir mentions the rumour of the Rozabal Tomb as ‘the Jesus tomb’, inspiring many curious travellers to visit.
Tomb of Yuz Asaf (adopted name of Jesus in India)
The following images are provided to the Tomb of Jesus Website courtesy Ken Lee of Eleven Shadows Ken visited the tomb in 1997 and 2005 when he took these images.
A Description of the Tomb of Yuz Asaf, believed to be the name Jesus took in Kashmir, by Dr Fida Hassnain
A Description of the Tomb of Yuz Asaf, believed to be the name Jesus took in Kashmir, by Dr Fida Hassnain
“This tomb was bult in a Jewish style of a sepulchre, with a room underground, having a side door. The shrine is quite distinct from the Muslim shrines, which have the Buddhist style of conic domes…”
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It is known as the tomb of Yuz Asaf. The word ‘Yuz’ stands for Yuzu (meaning Jesus), and ‘Asaf’ in Hebrew means gatherer, namely, one who was to collect the lost sheep of Israel. It is said that the Prophet Yuz Asaf arrived from Syria about two thousand years ago.
Report on the Rozabal in 1899 by Maulawi Abdullah
While it may be new to many in the world, this tomb is well-known to Ahmadi Muslims. In his treatise written in 1899, Masih Hindustein Mein (Jesus in India), Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Promised Messiah and Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, detailed this very tomb:
‘….I shall try to prove in this book that Jesus(as) did not die on the Cross: he did not go up to heaven, nor should it be supposed that he will ever again come down from heaven to earth; that, rather, he died at the age of 120 years at Srinagar, in Kashmir, and that his tomb is to be found in the Khan Yar Street of that town’
What evidence is there that Yuz Asaf is Jesus(as)?
The carved footprints are one of the distinctive features of the tomb and one of the main clues in helping us identify the person buried there.
A stone with the imprint of two feet showing what seem to be nail wounds (a round wound on the left foot and an arc-shaped wound on the right foot), the scars Jesus would have suffered from his crucifixion.
Footprints (Photo courtesy of Dr. Fida Hassnain)
Many researchers have pointed to the feet carvings and highlighted how they appear to show crucifixion scars on both feet. The location of the scars towards the front of the feet and at different places on each foot, is also significant.
Dr Fida Hassnain talks about his personal discovery of these carved footprints and the effect it had on him in a documentary shown on the Discovery Channel:
“I asked one of my assistants just clear [sic].., it was quite dark, but anyhow he cleared it and he said ‘Oh, I feel some sort of sculpted stone is here’. We just cleaned the surface and there I felt feet impressions, and looking at them it appeared they had wound marks.”
“I felt astonished to see these wound marks, and at once it took me to the Crucifixion scene where Jesus was put on the cross.”
2.) Nonetheless, the tomb is built in an east-west direction, the same as the Jewish tradition, in line as a follower of Moses, and is not in the direction facing Mecca.
3.) Direction of the Grave
The next piece of evidence is the direction of the Grave itself. Researchers including Dr Fida Hassnain, have stated that the direction of the actual grave of Yuz Asaf is in an East-West facing direction. This is significant as this is the direction in which the Jews buried their dead, not in the direction traditional for Muslims with the right shoulder facing towards the Qiblah (in Makkah).
These two graves don’t point towards Mecca, and the writing on the graves is in Hebrew, which is impossible on a Mohammedan grave — Hebrew is not their language. The name of Jesus is written exactly as it was pronounced by the Jews, “Joshua.” “Jesus” is a Christian conversion of the Jewish name. The grave is certainly of Jesus.
Moses had come to Kashmir to find a tribe of Jews who were lost on the way from Egypt to Jerusalem. When he reached Jerusalem his deep concern was the whole tribe that had got lost somewhere in the desert. When his people were established in Jerusalem, he went in search of the lost tribe, and he found the lost tribe established in Kashmir. Kashmiris are basically Jewish — later on Mohammedans forcibly converted them — and Moses lived with them and died there.
Jesus also went to Kashmir, because then it was known that Moses had found the lost tribe there. The doors of Judea were closed — he would be hanged again — and the only place where he would find the people who speak the same language, the people who have a same kind of mind, where he would not be a foreigner, was Kashmir. So it was natural for him to go to Kashmir.
Pahalgam is named after Jesus, because he used to call himself “the shepherd” — Pahalgam means “the town of the shepherd.”
It was a conspiracy more than a resurrection. But certainly Jesus did not die on the cross, he did not die in the cave where he was put; he lived long enough.
Jesus Never Died on the Cross
Jesus never died on the cross. It takes at least forty-eight hours for a person to die on the Jewish cross; and there have been known cases where people have existed almost six days on the cross without dying. Because Jesus was taken down from the cross after only six hours, there is no possibility of his dying on the cross.
It was a conspiracy between a rich sympathizer of Jesus and Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus as late as possible on Friday — because on Saturday, Jews stop everything; their Sabbath does not allow any act. By the evening of Friday everything stops.
The arrangement was that Jesus would be crucified late in the afternoon, so before sunset he would be brought down. He might have been unconscious because so much blood had flowed out of the body, but he was not dead. Then he would be kept in a cave, and before the Sabbath ended and the Jews hung him again, his body would be stolen by his followers. The tomb was found empty, and Jesus was removed from Judea as quickly as possible.
It is a coincidence, but a beautiful coincidence, that Moses died in Kashmir and Jesus also died in Kashmir.
However, if he had survived the crucifixion, it would make sense that he would want to leave Jerusalem and the area to be free from any threat from the Roman soldiers. Thus, there is the idea he went to Kashmir where some of the lost tribes of Israel are said to have relocated. Thus, even today, one can recognize similarities with the Jewish culture in Kashmir, such as with some of the foods, clothes, butcher knives, heart-shaped boat paddles, etc.
Of course, when talking to most Christians, they are often convinced that Jesus never went to India. They feel that there would be no need for him to learn from any Hindus or Buddhists. Plus, the Bible gives no information about the 18 missing years of his life(between the ages of 12 and 30). It only says that he grew in wisdom. But that is the question, what happened during those 18 years?
Some scholars in India believe that Jesus, during his lengthy period of time in Asia, visited and studied in Hindu temples in Puri and Banaras and in Buddhist monasteries in Tibet — all of which solidified his philosophy of non-violence. In addition, the Times claimed, Jesus may have even met some well-known Indian historical figures from that period, including Raja Gopananda of Kashmir and King Shalivahana.
The theory that Jesus learned ancient wisdom in India and the East contends that when he was about 30, he returned to his native land of Judea and began his public mission of preaching.
Kashmiri descent from lost tribes of Israel
Image showing that kashmiris are the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, and are related to the Pashtoons (Pakhtoons) of Afghanistan.
There are essential similarities between Kashmir place names and Hebrew words and phrases. The name Kashmir locally know as kasher itself is said to be based on the Hebrew word Kashir (Hebrew: כשיר), “like Syria”. The Kashmir valley, said to be the dwelling place of the Ten Lost Tribes, is called Bagh-I-Suleman (Garden of Solomon) in local parlance. The connection between Kashmir and ancient Israel is strengthened further by such Kashmiri place names as “Tomb of Moses” and “Throne of Solomon”. There is also a Kashmiri tradition that the 40 years of wandering in the desert actually covered the ground from Asia to Kashmir, and that Kashmir is in fact thePromised Land.
Jesus Traveled to Kashmir (Heaven on Earth)
Also, when Jesus came to Kashmir he came with a group of followers which included his mother, Mary, who must have been over 70 years old, and was no doubt weakened by the journey. Seventy kilometers east of Taxila, and 170 kilometers west of Srinagar on the border of Kashmir, is a small town called Mari, or Murree in English, near Rawalpindi. In that town is a very old grave called Mai Mari da Asthan, meaning “the final resting place of Mother Mary.” This is a tomb in Jewish style, aligned on the east-west line, while the Muslim tombs are always aligned on the north-south axis. Here is where she must have died before Jesus reached Kashmir, which was considered paradise, or heaven on earth. Even to this day this grave is maintained by Muslims as the resting place of Jesus’ mother because he (Isa) is considered one of the main prophets of Islam. However, the British knocked down the original shrine to Mother Mary to build a fort at that place because of the view over the surrounding area, and because they did not believe in Mary being buried there. Out of respect, the local people gathered the rocks of the grave and put them back near the original site. So, it is not in the same place as where the body was located.
Also near the villages of Naugam and Nilmag, about 40 kilometers south of Srinagar is a large plain called the Yuz Marg, the meadow of Jesus. It is said that from Murree, Jesus proceeded to Srinagar entering Kashmir from the pass now called Yuz Marg, and he rested at Aish Muqam, about 50 miles south of Srinagar, where a sanctuary was erected containing the horns of ‘God’s ram’ and a walking stick that is considered Moses’ stick, later used by Jesus. It is also here that some of the tribes of Israel are supposed to have settled after 722 BCE to live as shepherds, which is still a major occupation in the area today.
More evidence of Jesus in Kashmir is found in an inscription that was carved on the sides of the steps at the threshold on the Throne of Solomon in Srinagar. Behind the Boulevard near Dal Lake is Shankaracharya Hill which rises 1100 feet above the city. At the summit is a Hindu temple for Shiva, but an earlier temple was built here around 200 BCE by Ashoka’s son. One temple that had been built was by King Laltaditya in the 6th century CE known as Gopadri. The road at the base of the hill where the State Government officials are located is still known as Gupkar road in connection with that temple. This is the oldest known site in Srinagar, believed to date back to 2500 BCE when the original sandstone structure had been built by King Sandiman. It is also said that the philosopher Shankaracharya visited Kashmir many centuries ago and had stayed on the hilltop to meditate. The top of the hill also provides a great view over the lake. But due to security reasons cameras are not allowed through the final checkpoint when going to the hilltop Shiva temple. The temple as we find it today is built on a high octagonal plinth, reached by a flight of 270 steps, the side walls of which used to have inscriptions on them. The main interior shrine is a small circular room with a lingam about three feet tall. A new ceiling has inscriptions in Persian which connects its origin to the reign of Shah Jahan.
The hill used to be called Takht-i-Sulaiman, the Throne of Solomon, which definitely represents some of the history of this region, and why some people think that King Solomon had been here. Other factors to consider is that there was an inscription on the remnants of the old building which states that the new temple was restored in 78 CE by King Gopadatta (or Gopananda), who ruled Kashmir from 49-109 CE. According to tradition, Solomon had visited the land of Kashmir. In fact, the local Muslims know Kashmir as “Bagh Suleiman,” the Garden of Solomon. This would go in accord with the theory that some scholars believe that Kashmir was the “Promised Land,” or the “Land of the Fathers” that the “ten lost tribes of Israel” wandered to in northern India where they found peace and tranquility. This was after they had moved eastwards when they had been driven out of Israel by the Assyrians, never to be heard from again. Therefore, it may have indeed been Solomon, as tradition declares, who divided the Barehmooleh Mountain and created an outlet for the water that later formed Dal Lake. He also may have constructed the original building of the Takht-i-Suleiman on top of what is now Shankaracharya Hill.
The meaning of the inscriptions on the Throne of Solomon is described in detail by Mullah Nadiri, a historian during the rule of Sultan Zainul Aabidin, in 1413 in his book on the history of Kashmir, Tarikh-i-Kashmir. He relates that Gopananda, or Gopadatta, ruled Kashmir and had the Temple of Solomon refurbished by a Persian architect. During the renovation four sayings in ancient Persian were set in stone that said, in essence, that Bihishti Zagar is the constructor of these columns in the year of 54. Khwaja Rukun, son of Murjan, had these columns built. In the year 54, Yuz Asaf proclaimed his prophetic calling. He is Jesus, prophet of the sons of Israel.
Unfortunately, these inscriptions are another artifact that has been removed from the premises, so you can no longer find these carvings in the building if you try to look for them. Nonetheless, Mullah Nadiri goes on to relate that during the rule of Gopadatta,Yuz Asaf came from the Holy Land to the Kashmir valley and proclaimed to be a prophet and preached to the people. Gopadatta ruled sixty years and two months before he died. It is calculated that Jesus came to Kashmir nearly 16 years after the crucifixion and lived to be around 80 years old. Even the Koran (23.50 or 52) intimates that Jesus did not die on the cross, but survived the crucifixion and ascended to live in a peaceful hill-side watered by a fresh spring.
All this seems to indicate that not only did Jesus come to India to learn the spiritual knowledge of the Vedic Brahmanas and Buddhists as other records have described, but after returning to his land of Israel to preach and was later crucified, he did not die on the cross but suffered and recovered. After that he ascended to heaven, known as Kashmir, where, after some years, he died and was buried in Srinagar.
According to various records, during his missing years Jesus was supposed to have studied for four years at the temple of Jagannatha Puri. In this regard, the 145th Shankaracharya at Jagannatha Puri was asked if Jesus had come there, and he agreed that Jesus came to Puri. He explained that the truth of Jesus’ visit to India was hidden in order to propagate lies, rather than let it be known that he came to India to study amongst the Brahmanas to acquire his deeper spiritual knowledge. The Shankaracharya mentions that Jesus studied the Vedic code of conduct on being compassionate, merciful, forgiving, etc.
1 Tourists flock to ‘Jesus’s tomb’ in Kashmir – BBC News – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/8587838.stm
The Times – He’s not the Messiah, locals tell Lonely Planet ‘Jesus tomb’ tourists – http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article7085207.ece
The Times of India – Tomb Raider: Jesus buried in Srinagar? http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5906304.cms
The book appeared in India Today’s Bestseller List three months in a row (March 2009).
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), Masih Hindustein Mein (Jesus in India), 1908.
Jesus In India – Paul Davids – Universal Studios – Sundance Channel, December 2008.
Asia Times – Holy Row in Kashmir over ‘Jesus Tomb’ – May 22nd 2010 – http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LE22Df03.html
BBC 4 – Did Jesus Die? (2003) – Wild Planet Films.
Jesus in the Himalayas – documentary featuring anthropologist Jeff Salz shown on the Discovery Channel, first in 2001, and repeated periodically.
The author of Ikmal-ud-Din died in Khorasan in 962 AD. He was a scholar who had travelled to many countries in order to research material for his book. He mentions the travels of Yuz Asaf to Kashmir.
Muslim savant, i.e., Ibn-al-Walid Al-Fahri Al-Tartooshi Al-Maliki, who was renowned for his learning, states about Jesus, on page 6 of his book Siraj-ul-Muluk, published by the Matba Khairiya of Egypt in 1306 A.H.: ‘Where is Isa, the Ruhullah, and, the Kalimatullah, who was the leader of the righteous, and the chief of travellers?’. Rauzat-us-Safa, a well-known book of history, on pages 130 – 135 – states Jesus was named the Messiah ‘because he was a great traveller’.
Matthew 2:13 states that Jospeh was instructed by an angel to take Jesus and Mary, and to flee to Egypt to avoid King Herod the Great.
The Fifth Gospel – Dr Fida Hassnain.
Rozabal – The Tomb of Jesus – latest book published by Suzanne Olsson and Dr Fida Hassnain. Olsson also appears in Paul Davids’ documentary stating she has no doubt it is Jesus buried in Rozabal.
Jesus Lived in India – written by Holger Kersten in 1994.
Humanity’s Messiah – Mantoshe Singh Devji – reviewed in June 2010 The Review of Religions Edition.
The Tomb of Jesus Christ as the proof of Unknown years of Jesus Christ buried In Kashmir, India? The list of Jesus in India researchers and contributors covers the entire religious spectrum. All these people have been brought together on the common thread of 'Jesus in India' - but many have very different thoughts about it or draw very different conclusions from the research.
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