On the last day of our Western Himalayan expedition in India (July 7, 2015) at the airport of Srinagar, the main city of Kashmir, I bought an interesting book [1]. It is dedicated to a problem that worries many people in the world.
Lev Borkin, head of the Center for Himalayan Scientific Research of the St. Petersburg Union of Scientists.
Was Jesus Christ in India? Spears, or rather feathers, have long been crossed by scientists, journalists and writers of various religious and philosophical preferences on this topic. Both in the West and in the East there are both ardent supporters and implacable opponents of the idea that the founder of Christianity lived in India. More than a century of controversy does not subside, despite the many articles and books published in different countries.
A clear similarity between the ideas of the New Testament and Buddhism has been noted for a long time and is obvious not only to specialists in the field of comparative study of religions. It is not surprising that it is used by a number of authors, including in Russia, to promote their esoteric and mystical views. Books of this kind have been published many times in different languages, including Russian.
The author of the book I bought, Professor Fida M. Hassnain, has several degrees and titles in science and religion, is a convinced adherent of the concept of the coming of Jesus to India and a consultant to several Western authors who wrote on this topic [2]. He was born in 1924 in Srinagar; his father was a teacher. After graduating from Punjab (Lahore) and Muslim (Aligar) universities, he worked as a lawyer. However, disillusioned with this profession, he began to teach in college.
After becoming a professor of history and research, in 1954 F. Hassnein was appointed director of the State Archives of Kashmir and director of Archaeological Research and Museums of Jammu and Kashmir State (until 1983). This allowed him not only to save hundreds of oriental manuscripts, but also to get acquainted with many of them in private collections and monasteries. As a result, he wrote about a dozen books on the history of Kashmir and "Eastern" Christology, which made him famous far beyond the borders of his homeland.
F. Hassnayn, like the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of Kashmir, is a Muslim, but he is also well acquainted with the Bible and studied with Buddhist teachers. It should be noted that the author of the book is a Sufi, i.e. islamic mystic. He traveled extensively, including in Europe, and calls for reconciliation and harmony between people are close to his heart.
In staging the theme "Jesus in India", two important aspects can be distinguished that are geographically tied to two regions of the Western Himalayas, namely, the Muslim Kashmir Valley and the Buddhist region of Ladakh. In this article I will only touch on the Kashmir history [3].
Promotional video:
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian
The assertion that Jesus Christ survived after the crucifixion, after which he went to India, where he lived for a long time and died a natural death at the age of 120 in Kashmir, became widespread thanks to the Islamic preacher Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908). In his book Jesus in India (1899), published posthumously in Urdu (Massih Hindustan Mein, 1908) and subsequently translated into different languages, including Russian [4], he used many sources and indicated that Jesus Christ was buried in Srinagar under named Yuz Asaf.
Ghulam Ahmad.
In Islam, Isa ibn Maryam (in Arabic Jesus, son of Mary) is deeply revered as the second most important prophet, Messenger of Allah (rasul) and messiah (al-Masih). However, unlike Christians, Muslims deny his divine origin, as well as death on the cross and burial, believing that thanks to Allah, under the guise of Isa, another person was crucified, while Isa himself was ascended to heaven. It is also stated that Isa's second coming to earth will take place on the Day of Judgment.
Unlike Christians, Jews (and Muslims) had a special relationship with those who died hanging from a tree. Such a person is considered cursed, since darkness settles in his heart, left by God. There was no way a true prophet could be hanged. Therefore, the execution by crucifixion was to demonstrate, according to the designs of the Pharisees, that Jesus was a false prophet.
According to Gulam Ahmad, Jesus was crucified but did not die on the cross. Thus, he escaped the impure results of the curse and did not ascend to heaven. This, in particular, according to Ahmad, is confirmed in the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 26, verse 32): after leaving the tomb, Jesus went to Galilee (70 miles on foot), but not at all to heaven.
Ghulam Ahmad noted that in those ancient times they did not use a noose around the neck and did not knock out the support from under the convict's feet, as they do now. Then the victim of the judgment was tied to a cross, and then the hands and feet were nailed (between the bones of the wrist and foot). To prevent a person from dying quickly, but at first to suffer for a long time, a support was made on the cross in the form of a small seat and a support for the legs.
Usually, the crucified died after a few days. To relieve his torment, women gave him sour wine mixed with wormwood, which caused him to faint. If after one or two days the authorities decided to forgive the convict and save his life, then he was removed from the cross alive. If they wanted to be executed by death, they kept them for at least three days in the sun, then they broke the bones of the arms and legs, and the person died.
According to the Gospels, Jesus was alive on the cross from 3 to 6 hours (Mark, 15:25, 34 and 37; John, 19:14) and even uttered a few phrases to the two thieves crucified alongside, as well as his mother and a disciple, after which he asked drink (Luke 23:42 and 43; John 19:26 and 27). At 6 pm "darkness" began (according to Ahmad, a strong dust storm), which lasted three hours (Luke 23:44) and ended with an earthquake (Matthew 27:54). At 9 o'clock in the evening of the same day, Jesus, crying out loud to the Lord, gave up his spirit.
It happened on Friday before Saturday, a holy day for Jews. On the night preceding it and on the Saturday itself, one must not leave anyone hanging on the cross. Fearing to break their law, the Jews asked Pilate to remove the bodies of Jesus and the robbers from the crosses, first breaking their legs in order to hasten death. However, the soldiers did not touch Jesus, thinking that he was already dead (John, 19: 31-33).
Hazrat Ahmad and his followers believe that Jesus did not die on the cross, but fell into an unconscious state (komu). In confirmation of this, the fact of the outflow of "blood and water" from the wound arising from the spear of the guard piercing the "ribs" of Jesus is cited (John 19:34). The guard decided that Jesus was dead. However, bleeding can only occur from a living body when the circulatory system and heart are working.
Ghulam Ahmad suggested that there was a conspiracy with Pilate, who wanted to save the preacher, but in such a way as not to arouse suspicion among the latter's enemies. Prof. Hassnein hypothesized that Jesus was associated with a sect of Essenes who lived near the Dead Sea. They, with the help of their members, including the wealthy and influential Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple of Jesus who knew Pilate, were able to save Jesus by arranging an execution before the holy Saturday and then receiving his body. Referring to the ancient (date not specified) Hindu sutra of Natha yogis "Natha Namawali", F. Hassnain gave another, more exotic explanation of the survival of Jesus. The sutra states that Ishai Natha (i.e., supposedly Jesus) came to India at the age of 14. After returning to preach in Palestine, he was crucified there by his compatriots. However, with the help of yoga, Ishanatha managed to enter a state of deep trance (samadhi). Believing he was dead, the body was buried in the grave.
At this time, his teacher (guru), the great Chetannatha, who was in deep meditation in the Lower Himalayas, saw in his vision the execution of the student and, making his body lighter than air, rushed to Palestine. His arrival was accompanied by thunder and lightning, for the gods were angry with the Jews. Taking Ishanatha's body out of the grave and bringing it out of samadhi, the guru delivered the preacher to the sacred land of the Aryans. Later, Ishanatha created his ashram in the Lower Himalayas, establishing here the cult of the lingam and yoni (i.e. male and female principles in Hinduism).
As F. Hassnayn assures, Natha yogis exist in India today, and some of their hymns contain references to John the Baptist.
After being taken down from the cross, the body of Jesus was treated with various incense and ointments. So, only Nicodemus, also a secret follower of Jesus, brought about 100 liters of the composition with myrrh and aloe (John 19:39). On the same evening, wrapped in swaddling clothes with incense (or a clean shroud, according to Matthew and Mark), the body of Jesus was taken to a new tomb, carved into the rock (Luke, 23:53) and located in the garden (John, 19:41).
Ghulam Ahmad paid special attention to the healing of Isa, reporting that the recipe for "Jesus' ointment" (Marhami-Isa) was written in hundreds of ancient books on medicine among Persians, Jews, Muslims and Latin. This drug quickly associated bleeding and was beneficial for falls or bumps. The ointment had an antiseptic effect, as it contained myrrh resin (myrrh), was healing for all types of burns and ulcers, as well as for the plague.
Prof. Hassnain also listed several treatises dating back to the 10th century AD, including Ibn Sina (Avicenna, 980-1037), commonly known in Europe as the Canon of Medicine. Arabic manuscripts date back to the Greek Pharmacopoeia known during the time of the Romans. The "Ointment of Jesus" ("the ointment of the apostles" or "prophets") consisted of 12 components, including various resins (balms), including myrrh and incense, aloe, lead oxide, copper subacetate, and olive oil. She healed wounds, removed purulent inflammations, helped to restore damaged tissues and blood circulation for several days.
Jesus' Departure for India
After his healing, Jesus is known to eat and drink with his disciples, showing them his wounds (Thomas the unbeliever). In other words, he led the life of an earthly person. It was dangerous for him to remain in Palestine, and he had to fulfill an important mission. As an ordinary, "humble", in the words of Gulam Ahmad, a person (not a deity), Jesus went east to those 10 Jewish tribes that were taken captive around 722 BC. king of Assyria and, scattered throughout the Middle East, reached India. Most of these lost sheep of Israel in a foreign land have renounced the faith; many converted to Buddhism, gradually slipping into idolatry. It was necessary to save them and return them to the path of truth. The path of Jesus lay through modern-day Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ghulam Ahmad reconstructed his journey to Kashmir on the basis of Islamic books. At 500 miles from Jerusalem, Jesus reached the city of Nisibin (Nisibis, now Nusaybin, southeastern Turkey next to Syria), then through Afghanistan came to Punjab. Kashmir is separated from Afghanistan by Chitral (Pakistan) and the Punjab strip (only 80 miles, or 135 km). From Kashmir, Isa could easily travel to Tibet. It is possible that from the Punjab, before reaching Kashmir or Tibet, he visited the major centers of Hindustan. According to ancient records, Isa visited Nepal, the city of Benares (Varanasi) on the Ganges and other places. Most likely he went to Kashmir through the cities of Jammu and Rawalpindi.
A slightly different reconstruction was proposed by Fida Hassnain based on the study of oriental manuscripts, apocrypha and other sources. Jesus, using trade routes, went to India through Assyria, Chaldea and Persia. From Jerusalem, he moved northeast to Damascus, from there to Nisibin. Here he turned south towards the Persian Gulf to the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates (Kharax) rivers, and then went to Persia.
He visited Jewish communities everywhere, preaching and healing. In one Persian dictionary prof. Hassnain found that Jesus became known as Yuzu Asaph because he cured many lepers by gathering them under his merciful protection. It is curious that both apologists for Christ's stay in Kashmir believe, referring to various sources, that a number of Afghan tribes descended from the Jewish prophets, retaining their names in their names (Davud-zye, Abrahim-zie, Yusuf-zie, Issa-khel, Suleiman-khel, etc.).
Jews and Kashmiris also have many similarities. For example, the Kashmir graves, called Moses' ones, are located from east to west, similar to the Jewish ones. Even now, coffins in Kashmir are of the same design as those of the Jews. Many ceremonies associated with birth, marriage and death, some eating habits are similar. Boatmen use heart-shaped oars, as in Palestine. I remember such an unusual shape of the oar at the end surprised me when at the beginning of July this year we lived in a houseboat on Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Lake Dal, 1600 m. Srinagar, May 3, 2013. Photo by A. Andreev.
For a long time, many Western travelers noted the outward resemblance of the inhabitants of Kashmir to the Jews, and al-Biruni (1048) reported that the Kashmiris did not allow any foreigners except Jews to enter their territory. Many local names (toponyms) coincide with the biblical ones. Of course, all this curious reasoning requires a thorough molecular genetic and linguistic analysis.
Ahmadiyya movement
Thus, Isa did not die on the cross, did not ascend to heaven, but died as an earthly person in Kashmir after a long life. This statement was a serious challenge for Islam. Moreover, Ghulam Ahmad publicly proclaimed himself the real and true promised Messiah and at the same time Imam Mahdi, the news of whose coming can be found in the Bible and the Koran. He declared that he was sent down, like Jesus, to end religious wars, to restore morality and justice. “I am the light of this dark age; whoever follows me will be saved from being thrown into the pit prepared by the Devil for those who roam in darkness."
Noting the spread of "malice", "heartlessness" and "lack of goodwill" in contemporary Islam, Ghulam Ahmad sharply criticized the Wahhabis sect for their adherence to violence, allegedly in the name of Allah. He argued against the misunderstanding of jihad that justifies killing other people: "Quite the opposite, Islam does not allow the use of the sword in the name of the Faith." Only three categories of wars are justified: defensive (for self-defense), wars of retaliation (reprisal for blood) and for the preservation of freedom (overthrow of the power of those who kill converting to Islam).
The spread of Islam (the great jihad) should only take place peacefully, not militarily. On March 23, 1899, Ghulam Ahmad founded a movement called Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at after Muhammad's second name "Ahmad".
The fundamental position of Islam is considered to be the statement that Muhammad was the last prophet. Therefore, Ahmad's statements, including those about Isa, sparked protests. In many countries, Ahmadis began to be persecuted by radical fundamentalists and declared heretics and "non-Muslims", although they are close to the Sunnis in their basic principles of faith. After the bans in Pakistan in 1984, the Ahmadi leadership emigrated to London, where the movement's headquarters also moved. Members of the Ahmadiyya were also subjected to violence, including murders, in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Palestine and Saudi Arabia.
However, the Ahmadiyya missionary movement currently has over 10 million followers and branches in 124 countries. It is popular in the West and active in Africa. Has its own university with campuses in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. They have built 15,000 mosques in different parts of the world, more than 500 schools and 30 hospitals, they plan to translate the Koran into 100 languages (70 have already been published) and publish the works of the founder of the movement Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 110 languages.
According to some historians, the African American civil rights movement in the United States had Ahmadis as its predecessor. All over the world there are many famous artists, politicians, military, financiers and scientists among the Ahmadiyya members. For example, the Nobel laureate in physics Pakistani Abdus Salam. For his belonging to the movement, the word "Muslim" was erased on the tombstone. Among the Ahmadis, the slogan “Love for all and hatred for no one” is popular, which fits well into the teachings of Christ or Buddhism.
Tomb of Yusu Asaf in Srinagar
Unlike many, Ghulam Ahmad believed that it was Jesus who influenced Buddhism, and not vice versa. Many Kashmiris and Ahmadis throughout the world believe that the tomb of Isa, known as Rosabal, is located in Srinagar.
The street leading to Rosabal, May 3, 2013. Photo by B. Hannibal.
In the spring of 1925, during his Central Asian expedition, NK Roerich visited Kashmir, where he wrote [5] that the legend of Christ's stay is widespread in India and beyond. The Master's Tomb is in the basement of a private house in Srinagar. The existence of an inscription is indicated that the son of Joseph lies here; at the tomb, it was as if healings were taking place and the smell of aromas spread. N. Roerich also cited lines from the Kashmir song about Christ. He didn't like the city itself.
In 2006, the BBC released a film about this mausoleum. Four years later, due to religious unrest, the authorities closed access to the building. In the spring of 2013, without knowing it, our 2nd Western Himalayan expedition decided to visit the sacred place, which was not so easy. Muslim Kashmiri drivers, under various pretexts, avoided fulfilling our insistence. Nevertheless, on May 3, Buddhists who replaced them from Ladakh took us to the house we were looking for.
We found ourselves in the old, purely Muslim area of Srinagar (Khanyaar), where tourists usually do not. Having parked their cars in the square and refused to go with us, our Ladak drivers pointed to a street with various shops. We followed it to a rather modest-looking rectangular house with inscriptions in ligature (probably in Urdu) and in English. It was the Rosabal mausoleum, inconspicuous from a distant distance (Rosa Bal, Rauza Bal, Rozabal), which translated into Russian means “the place of the grave” (from rauza - the grave of a noble, chosen or holy person and bal - a place). Unfortunately for us, it turned out to be closed.
Rosabal, May 3, 2013. Photo by V. Skvortsov.
Three different colored signs were attached above the front garden fence. The left green one announced that it was the "Shrine of Hazrat You-za Asif and Syed Naseer-ud-din". The large dark-colored sign on the right said: "The Koran and the Bible speak of Jesus Christ" - and then there was an extensive quote from the Koran about the Jews and their attempt to kill Jesus [6].
According to the description of prof. Hassnaina, the current brick and wood building is built on top of an ancient stone structure. There is a wooden cross in the center of the main entrance door.
Inside the house there is a hall with a rectangular wooden crypt in the middle with two entrances. In the crypt itself is the main wooden sarcophagus, decorated with patterns on the south and north sides and covered with a shroud.
No one is allowed to enter the crypt, but F. Hassnain was able to get there due to his high official position. Inside the tomb, he saw two stone slabs. On a black polished slab in the corner of the sarcophagus, images of several deformed feet were carved in relief. A plaster cast showed that there were nail marks on them. F. Hassnayn was not allowed to conduct an archaeological study of the building.
After talking with a very friendly elderly local and taking some photos, including with him, we returned to our drivers. On the square, as we were getting into the cars, a young man with a small black beard began excitedly accusing us (“Christians”) of disrespect for Muslims. He threatened retaliation by the Taliban for the fact that some of us, despite the ban, photographed the house of the saints.
It turns out he was following us. His loud indignation began to attract the attention of the residents crowding around. In the event of further escalation of passions, this could lead to a real danger for us. With great difficulty, I nevertheless managed to calm the indignant Kashmiri, and we immediately left.
The American TV presenter of the travel program "Wanderer", repeatedly shown on the Russian federal TV channel RBK, twice tried to come up with a bouquet of flowers to the house where Isa's coffin is allegedly located. Both of his attempts were unsuccessful. The local residents categorically did not let the American go to Rosabal, despite all his explanations that it was important for him as a Christian.
Serious Western scholars deny the possibility of identifying the Srinagar Yuz Asaf with Jesus Christ, as do the local Sunnis. Critics argue that Ghulam Ahmad misunderstood the old Kashmiri interpretation of the 16th century Arabic version of The Tale of Barlaam and Joasaph.
As you know, this work tells about the life of Tsarevich Siddhartha Gautama (Joasaph in the Russian version, an Orthodox saint!), Who became Buddha. The action takes place in India. Critics believe that Boddhisattva - Budasaf - Yudasaf - Yuzasaf was replaced in the Arab Kashmir version, and the place of the prince's death near Kushinara (now Kushinagar) was transformed into Kashmir. Thus, the Indian legend of the Buddha, due to misinterpretations, became the Kashmir myth of Jesus. Prof. Hassnayn denies this interpretation, although he admits that the legends about Yuzu Asaf's stay in Kashmir came from Persia and Afghanistan, and they exist in Kashmir itself. He found information about him in various books and manuscripts stored in the library of the Institute for Oriental Studies in Srinagar.
In his opinion, the earliest mention of Jesus is found in a Sanskrit manuscript on the Bhavishya Mahapurana papyrus, compiled by the Sutta in 115 CE. and containing copies of previous records. It says that about the year 78, the prince of the Sakas (probably Shalivaakhan, Shali-Vahana) met in the town of Vien near Pampur (Pampore, 12 km from Srinagar), famous for its mineral springs, a saint, fair-skinned, in white clothes, who introduced himself as Ishvara-Putaram (son of God) and Kanya-Garbam (virgin-born). He came from afar, where he suffered, and appeared here to preach as Isa Masih (i.e. the Messiah Jesus).
Another ancient testimony of Jesus can be found in the Rajatarangini (literally river or stream of kings), the oldest handwritten history of Kashmir, compiled in Sanskrit by the Hindu Kalhana. It dates back to 1148 and was published in 1900 in English translation by the famous British orientalist and traveler Aurel Stein.
The book contains the story of the crucifixion on the cross of the Aryan prince Samdhimati, who was a disciple of a great saint named Isana, who lived in the 1st century AD. in Ishbar on the shores of Lake Dal in Srinagar. The prince was loved by everyone, and he was foretold of the reign. The local king, unable to withstand suspicion, ordered him to be crucified. Guru Isana, having come to the place of execution, found only a skeleton on a cross. With the help of yogis and sacred ointments, Samdimati's body was restored, and he himself was resurrected. This is, of course, a clear echo of Palestinian history in pre-Islamic Kashmir.
F. Hassnain also cites information about Yuzu Asaf from various Persian manuscripts of a later age (from the beginning of the 15th century), including his sermons, surprisingly coinciding with the teachings of the New Testament. A manuscript from 1420 tells of the Hazrat Yusu Asaf, who came from Palestine and claimed to be a messenger of God. This happened in 54 laulik (= 78 AD), when the temple on the top of Solomon's hill in Srinagar was being renovated. The stonemasons, judging by the names recorded in a number of Kashmiri manuscripts, were Jews from Persia.
This temple, known to Muslims as the Throne of Solomon (Takhat-i-Sulaiman), was renamed by the then reigning Maharaja Shanka-racharya in 1848 in honor of the famous saint (Shankaracharya) who allegedly lived here and preached Hinduism.
In modern travel guides to Kashmir, this place is recommended for tourists to visit.
Could Jesus really reach Kashmir, covering the vast distance between Palestine and India? In theory, yes, since even for that time it would not have been an exceptional event. Since ancient times, trade caravans have linked both regions. In addition, in the 1st century A. D. His Apostle Thomas (unbeliever) came to India at the direction of Christ, which is confirmed by numerous finds of antique Christian objects.
It is believed that in 40 year Thomas appeared in the famous city of Taxila (Taxila, Pakistan), where in 48 he led the construction of a palace for the local king. Here, in 49, he allegedly met Jesus. In 52, Thomas founded the first church on the Malabar coast (southwestern India), but died a martyr's death near the city of Madras, where his relics are kept in the cathedral. The activity of Thomas, called the apostle of India, is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.
According to records (up to 962) in Arabic manuscripts, communities of Christians called nasars or kristani existed in Kashmir until the 3rd century AD.
Isa is believed to have died at the age of 120 in Kashmir. Here he allegedly married a shepherdess from the village of Pahalgam. In 1976, Sahibzada Basharat Saleem, a master of the Punjab University who had looked after Rosabal for many years, told some Western scholars that he was a direct descendant of Yuz Asaf and this shepherdess. He did it secretly so as not to suffer from local residents. The chronology of his family is recorded in three volumes in Hebrew on the skin. Since his recent death, the mausoleum has been overseen by a Sunni council.
You can relate to the story in different ways. The books of the followers of "Jesus in India" are clearly not written in an academic, but rather in a journalistic, popular style. Some sources are questionable. Nevertheless, one should agree with the appeal of prof. Hassnayn to Western critics to study the problem objectively, in an open dialogue.
When I first went to India (2011), experienced people advised me not to argue with the locals, but to try to perceive everything through their eyes. Since childhood, Indians have been living in a circle of legends and tales adopted in their environment, and what seems to us to be a myth is reality for them, past or present. This is easy to see when visiting mosques or temples of Buddhists, Hindus and Jains. However, the modern Christian worldview is no less mythologized, although it would seem that at the beginning of the 21st century there are no scientific, rational grounds for this (except for socio-psychological).
Notes
1. Hassnain FM Jesus in Kashmir. Srinagar: Dastgir Publications Trust, 2012. See also: Hassnain, FM, In Search of the Historical Jesus. From apocryphal, Buddhist, Islamic and Sanskrit primary sources. M.: Sattva, 2006.
2. For example: Kersten H. Jesus lived in India. His unknown life before and after the New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2001; Kersten Holger. Jesus lived in India. M.: Enneagon Press, 2007.
3. See also: Mitrokhin L. V. Kashmir legends about Jesus Christ. M.: Knowledge, 1990.
4. Jesus in India. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad from Qadian. Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. Islam International Publications, 1991.
5. Roerich N. K. Heart of Asia. SPb., 1992.
6. For the text of this quotation (Sura Women) in the Russian translation by I. Yu. Krachkovsky, see the book: Borkin L. Ya. Izvara, N. Roerich, Himalayas. Saint Petersburg: Evropeyskiy Dom, 2014. S. 63.