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40-600: The Roza Bal , Rouza Bal , or Rozabal is a shrine located in the Khanyar quarter in downtown area of Srinagar in Kashmir, India . The word roza means tomb, the word bal means place. Locals believe a sage is buried here, Yuz Asaf , alongside another Muslim holy man , Mir Sayyid Naseeruddin. The shrine was relatively unknown until the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , claimed in 1899 that it

80-476: A Hindu temple near Srinagar where Ghulam Ahmad claimed Jesus had preached. Due to the lack of other western sources, the Ahmadi rely on the 3rd century apocryphal Acts of Thomas and generally post-15th century Muslim sources in their reconstruction of an eastern travel path for Jesus. J. Gordon Melton states that having assumed the mujaddid (faith renewer) appellation in the 1880s, and having declared himself

120-509: A boddhisvatta but of a Muslim saint. German indologist Günter Grönbold notes that like the Yuzasaf legend, the tomb itself is one of many sacred Buddhist and Hindu sites in Kashmir re-purposed to Islamic shrines over the course of Kashmir's history. 34°05′39″N 74°48′59″E  /  34.09417°N 74.81639°E  / 34.09417; 74.81639 Khanyar Khanyar is

160-610: A local Srinagar Sufi writer. Muhammed Azam states that the tomb is of a foreign prophet and prince, Yuzasuf, or in modern local Kashimiri transcription Youza Asouph. The name may derive from the Urdu "Yuzasaf" in the legend of Balauhar and Yuzasaf , Yuzasaf being a name for Gautama Buddha . Yuzasaf occurs as a spelling in the Rasail Ikhwan al-Safa of the Brethren of Purity and other sources. David Marshall Lang (1960) notes that

200-569: A locality in downtown from Khayam to Khwaja Bazar in Srinagar district in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India . It lies about 4 kilometers north from Lal Chowk, Srinagar . This locality is known for being the power base of Sanaullah Shawl and for the shrine of Dastgeer Sahib , Roza Bal , tomb of Yuz Asaf . Known for its shrine of Abdul Qadir Gilani , a renowned scholar, also called as Dastgeer sahib by locals. This shrine

240-655: A supporter of the Ahmadiyya views of Jesus, the tomb contains a rock carving that is said to show feet bearing crucifixion wounds and the body is buried according to what Hassnain considers are the Jewish tradition of directions and not according to the Islamic tradition. Academic reception of Hassnain's works has been highly critical - academics dismissing these claims includes Günter Grönbold , Wilhelm Schneemelcher , Norbert Klatt , Per Beskow , and Gerald O'Collins . There

280-406: A way to attract tourists. Khanyar is surrounded on one side by once a freshwater lake known as Brari Nambal which at present day is in highly deteriorated condition due to official negligence and choking of it drainage canals. It was once drained by a famous canal Nallah Mar , which was filled up and converted to a road called Nallah Mar Road. Yuzasaf According to Ahmadiyya thought,

320-515: Is a shrine to Youza Asouph . The building also houses the burial tomb of a Shia Muslim saint, Mir Sayyid Naseeruddin, a descendant of Imam Ali-Rida , 8th Imam of the Shia Muslims whose shrine is in Mashhad . The structure was previously maintained by the local community, but is now maintained by a board of directors consisting of Sunni Muslims . According to Kashmiri writer Fida Hassnain ,

360-420: Is actually the tomb of Jesus . This view is maintained by Ahmadis today, though it is rejected by the local caretakers of the shrine, one of whom said "the theory that Jesus is buried anywhere on the face of the earth is blasphemous to Islam." The structure stands in front of a Muslim cemetery. It consists of a low rectangular building on a raised platform, surrounded by railings at the front and an entry. Within

400-596: Is derived from the Sanskrit Bodhisattva . The Sanskrit word was changed to Bodisav in Persian texts in the 6th or 7th century, then to Budhasaf or Yudasaf in an 8th-century Arabic document (from Arabic initial "b" ﺑ to "y" ﻳ by duplication of a dot in handwriting). In the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and continuing Hindu-Muslim and Muslim-Muslim tensions and incidents

440-492: Is distinct from the 1894 suggestion of Nicolas Notovitch that Jesus travelled to India in his earlier years (before the start of his ministry ) during the unknown years of Jesus and Ghulam Ahmad specifically disagreed with Notovitch. Notovitch's claims to have found a manuscript about Jesus' travels to India have been totally discredited by modern scholarship as a hoax. Notovitch later confessed to having fabricated his evidence. Modern scholars generally hold that in general there

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480-502: Is no historical basis to substantiate any of the claims of the travels of Jesus to India. After Notovich and Ahmad the next widely noticed text was the 1908 The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ – Transcribed from The Book of God's Remembrance (Akashic Records) , which Levi H. Dowling (1844–1911) claimed he had transcribed from lost "Akashic" records. Khwaja Nazir Ahmad , an Ahmadi missionary in Woking, developed Ghulam Ahmad's ideas in

520-742: Is no record of the shrine during Kashmir's Buddhist period , nor during the Kashmir Sultanate (1346–1586) when many Buddhist temples were converted into mosques, such as the Shankaracharya Temple or "Throne of Solomon." The shrine is first mentioned in the Waqi'at-i-Kashmir (Story of Kashmir, published 1747), also known as the Tarikh Azami (History by Azam) by the Khwaja Muhammad Azam Didamari ,

560-506: Is ordered that he be entitled to receive the offerings made at the shrine as before, and no one else shall have any right to such offerings. Given under our hand, 11th Jamad-ud-sani, 1184 A.H" (translation by Fida Hassnain 1988) Hassnain's translation follows Ghulam Ahmad in dividing the name of Yuzasaf , found in the Bilhawar and Yuzasaf tradition about Gautama Buddha, into two syllables, "Yuz Asaf." Yuzasaf, Arabic Yūdhasaf or Būdhasaf ,

600-660: The Lonely Planet travel guide to India helped drive the tourist business. The novel The Rozabal Line by Ashwin Sanghi makes reference to the shrine. In 2010, a 53-minute documentary was launched by the Indian film director Rai Yashendra Prasad with the name Roza Bal Shrine of Srinagar . Since mainstream Muslims, and secular historians do not accept the Ahmadiyya claims of a visit by Jesus of Nazareth to India , mainstream Muslims and scholars also reject any possibility that

640-635: The Promised Messiah for the Christians, Ghulam Ahmad simply picked up the legend that Jesus had visited India to increase his self-identification with Jesus. Gerald O'Collins states that no historical evidence has been provided to support Ghulam Ahmad's theory that Jesus died in India. Simon Ross Valentine classifies the theory as a legend and considers the burial of Jesus in Roza Bal a myth in

680-504: The Roza Bal shrine located in Srinagar , Kashmir as the tomb of Jesus. Drawing on Kashmiri oral traditions, as well as the Qur'an , Hadith and accounts by explorers , Mirza Ghulam Ahmad postulated that Jesus travelled to Srinagar , where he settled and married a woman called Maryam (Mary), and that Maryam bore Yuz Asaf children, before he died aged 120 years. He discusses this belief in

720-425: The survival from the cross theory and, in passing, mentions theories such as a journey to India by Jesus, with a section on the story of Yuz Asaf. In 2007 Channel 4 showed the documentary The Hidden Story of Jesus presented by Robert Beckford , which included filming inside Roza Bal, and an interview with Fida Hassnain about the shrine and Jesus "Indian connection". Gerald O’Collins criticised several aspects of

760-476: The 1940s. He also claimed that Moses was buried at Boot on Mt. Niltoop near Bandipur. His book (1952) contained a translated section of the Ikmal al-din of Shia authority Ibn Babawayh (d. 991, called "as-Saduq") where Yuzasaf (Ahmad "Yuz Asaf") is mentioned. He compared the tree with 'Bushra' towards which he used to draw people; the spring with learning, and the birds with the people who sat around him and accepted

800-405: The Roza Bal shrine is the tomb of Jesus. After Howard Walter visited the shrine in 1913, investigating Ghulam Ahmad's claims, he reported that local Muslims were of the opinion that the shrine had previously been a Hindu grave until the 14th century when Sayyid Sharfud'-Din 'Abdur Rahman, (d. 1327 CE, popularly known as Bulbul Shah ) had brought Islam to Kashmir, and declared the grave to be not of

840-526: The Srinagar shrine as Jesus's tomb. These include: (1) Islamic versions of the legend of Barlaam and Josaphat , in Arabic Budasaf or Yuzasaf: (2) Texts mentioning Jesus (Isa) (3) Local history of Kashmir Pappas states that the analysis of any possible combinations of date assignment to Nazir Ahmad's theory about the travels of Jesus indicates that none of the scenarios can be consistent with

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880-571: The Ziarat Rozabal was desecrated and the grave dug up on 27 October 1965. Indian columnist Praveen Swami (2006) identified the culprits as a "stay-back cell" of Pakistani operatives, but this is not confirmed by other sources. The founder of Ahmadiyya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, inferring from the Verse 23:50 of the Quran, believed that the only occasion in the life of Jesus, son of Mary, that his life

920-514: The ancient documents held by the current custodian of the tomb. According to Tarikh-i-Kashmir , a history of Kashmir written between 1579–1620, Yuzu Asaf was a Prophet of God who travelled to Kashmir from a foreign land. In 1747, a local Srinagar Sufi writer, Khwaja Muhammad Azam Didamari , stated that the Roza Bal is a shrine to a foreign prophet and prince, Youza Asouph. Indologist Günter Grönbold in his Jesus in Indien assesses that

960-1008: The book Jesus in India . More recent Ahmadiyya writers assert that the tomb of Mary , the mother of Jesus is in Murree , Pakistan. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's use of various Hindu and Islamic sources have been deemed to be misunderstandings or distortions by various scholars of Buddhism including the Swedish scholar Per Beskow in Jesus in Kashmir: Historien om en legend (1981), the German indologist Günter Grönbold , in Jesus in Indien - Das Ende einer Legende (1985) and Norbert Klatt , in Lebte Jesus in Indien?: Eine religionsgeschichtliche Klärung (1988). His views are considered heretical by

1000-722: The connection of the Buddhist Yuzasaf with Kashmir in part results from a printing error in the Bombay Arabic edition referencing the legend of the Wisdom of Balahvar which makes its hero prince Yuzasaf die in "Kashmir" (Arabic: كشمير) by confusion with Kushinara ( Pali : كوشينر), the traditional place of the original Buddha's death. A court case was brought mentioning the shrine in 1184 AH /1770AD: The Seal of The Justice of Islam Mullah Fazil 1184-A.H. Verdict: Now this Court, after obtaining evidence, concludes that during

1040-405: The documentary, and stated that Hassnain "showed how he lives in an odd world of fantasy and misinformation." Around 2010 the tomb at Roza Bal began to gain popularity among western tourists as the possible tomb of Jesus. According to a 2010 BBC correspondent report, the old story may have been recently promoted by local shopkeepers who "thought it would be good for business", and its inclusion in

1080-547: The general public. The interpretation that the tomb is aligned East-West is found in the Ahmadi publications such as, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's Kashti Noh and Ahmadiyya official magazines Islamic Review 1981 and Review of Religions 1983. Ahmadis claim that this is supported by the reference from Ibn Babawayh 's version of the Yuzasif - Gautama Buddha story in Ikmal al-Din "Then he stretched out his legs and turned his head to

1120-552: The generally accepted historical dates such as the reign of Gondophares, in part because Nazir Ahmad relied on the dating methods used in the court of Zain-ul-Abidin (1423–1474). In 1976 Andreas Faber-Kaiser , a Spanish UFOlogist , and in 1983 Siegfried Obermeier and Holger Kersten , two German writers on esoteric subjects, popularised the subject in Christ died in Kashmir , Christ in Kashmir and Christ Lived in India respectively. Kersten's ideas were among various expositions of

1160-682: The name Yuz Asaf is of Buddhist derivation, and possibly from Yusu or Yehoshua (Jesus) and Asaf (the Gatherer). According to Ahmadiyya thought, the Yuz Asaf was a prophet of the ahl-i kitab (People of the Book) whose real name was Isa – the Quranic name for Jesus . The prophet Yuz Asaf came to Kashmir from the West (Holy Land) during the reign of Raja Gopadatta (c 1st century A.D) according to

1200-409: The oneness of God till he passed away. Yuz‐Asaph was buried at Khanyar on the banks of the lake and his shrine is known as Roza Bal. In the year 871 A.H. Syed Nasir-ud-Din, a descendant of Imam Musa-Raza, was also buried besides the grave of Yuz Asaph. Orders – Since the shrine is visited by devotees, both high and common, and since the applicant, Rehman Khan, is the hereditary custodian of the shrine, it

1240-589: The reign of Raja Gopadatta, who built and repaired many temples, especially the Throne of Solomon, Yuz Asaph came to the Valley. Prince by descent, he was pious and saintly and had given up earthly pursuits. He spent all his time in prayers and meditation. The people of Kashmir, having become idolators, after the great flood of Noah, the God Almighty, sent Yuz Asaph as a prophet to the people of Kashmir. He proclaimed

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1280-932: The religion he preached. Then Yuz Asaf, after roaming about in many cities, reached that country which is called Kashmir. He travelled in it far and wide and stayed there and spent his remaining life there until death overtook him. He left the earthly body and was elevated towards the Light. But before his death, he sent for a disciple of his, Ba'bad (Thomas) by name who used to serve him and was well-versed in all matters. Translation into English from Original Arabic of Ikmal al-din of Ibn Babawayh , republished Khwaja Nazir Ahmad "Jesus in Heaven on earth" 1952 Page 362 (insertion "Thomas" not in original Ghulam Ahmad 1908 translation). The claim that this text relates to Isa (Jesus) and not Barlaam and Josaphat originates in Ahmad's earlier 1902 use of

1320-401: The same text. Ahmadiyya claims that this section of the Ikmal al-din of Ibn Babawayh relates to Isa (Jesus) is rejected by Shia Muslims. The Orientalist Max Müller had already translated this section into German (1894) when refuting the claims of Nicolas Notovitch . Ahmadi websites and print sources cite various local documents and traditions in support of Ghulam Ahmad's identification of

1360-500: The scale of the legend of Joseph of Arimathea taking the Holy Grail to Britain. Paul C. Pappas states that from a historical perspective, the Ahmadi identification of Yuzasaf with Jesus was derived from legends and documents which include a number of clear historical errors (e.g. confusing the reign of Gondophares ) and that "it is almost impossible to identify Yuz Asaf with Jesus". Ghulam Ahmad's theory that Jesus died in India

1400-558: The shrine was previously Hindu, before the Islamization of Kashmir and is possibly the grave of a Buddhist or Hindu saint rather than a Sufi, but, in any case, has no connection with Jesus or Christianity. Having stumbled upon research by Russian explorer Nicolas Notovitch , Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, identified Yuz Asaf as a name that Jesus of Nazareth may have assumed following his crucifixion and migration from Palestine. Ahmad further identified

1440-423: The theory critiqued by Günter Grönbold in Jesus in Indien. Das Ende einer Legende (Munich, 1985). Wilhelm Schneemelcher a German theologian states that the work of Kersten (which builds on Ahmad and The Aquarian Gospel ) is fantasy and has nothing to do with historical research. Gerald O'Collins an Australian Jesuit priest, states that Kersten's work is simply the repackaging of a legend for consumption by

1480-512: The west and his face to the east. He died in this position." Richard Denton wrote and produced a documentary for BBC Four titled Did Jesus Die? in 2004. It is narrated by Bernard Hill and features Elaine Pagels , Peter Stanford , John Dominic Crossan , Paula Fredriksen , Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor , Tom Wright , Thierry LaCombe (French Knights Templar conspiracy theorist), Richard Andrews , James Tabor , Steve Mason , and Ahmadi editor Abdul Aziz Kashmiri . The documentary explores

1520-428: Was built in 1806 A.D. from where the relic, which was given by an Afghan traveller to then governor of the state, Sardar Abdullah Khan, was displayed on various religious festivals. The shrine was enlarged in 1877 A.D. by Khwaja Sanaullah Shawl. The tomb of Yuz Asaf in Roza Bal is also situated here. In 1899 Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed that it was the tomb of Jesus Christ Others have dismissed this as nothing but

1560-595: Was fully published in 1908, and the first complete English translation in 1944. Ahmad had separately advocated the view that Jesus did not die by crucifixion, but travelled to the Indian subcontinent and died there at age 120. Per Beskow states that Ghulam Ahmad separated Yuzasaf into two components Yuz and Asaf, interpreted Yuz as Jesus and Asaf (the Hebrew for gather) as signifying "Jesus the gatherer". The Ahmadiyya writer Khwaja Nazir Ahmad 's Jesus in Heaven on Earth (1952) developed Ghulam Ahmad's ideas. There are ruins of

1600-470: Was seriously threatened, when an attempt was made to kill him by the cross. The Quran saying that "We...prepared an abode for them in an elevated part of the earth, being a place of quiet and security, and watered with running springs"; Ahmad says, may very fittingly apply to the Valley of Kashmir. In his book Jesus in India , he elaborately claimed that Roza Bal was the tomb of Jesus (Urdu 1899, English 1944 مسیح ہندوستان میں Masih Hindustan-mein ). The book

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