Had Christ Visited Nepal and India?

His passion for learning must have been great. Not much is known about his teen-age as a student or about his youthful formative phase of life. The four Gospels record only his Baptism and other activities of 30 years old Jesus.What he had been doing and where (during his teen age and young age) is completely unknown.

By Shiva Raj Shrestha

Born as the son of Virgin Mary and brought up by his legal father, carpenter Joseph in Bethlehem and Nazareth (of present day Israel), Jesus Christ had latter on developed himself as one of the most influential revolutionary reformer, who had opened the gates of religious consciousness and influenced the entire known world of his time. It is established that Jesus had spent his childhood in Nazareth, assisting his carpenter father.

But there is no proper record of his early childhood. There is only one description (in the Gospels) of one incident of his childhood. It says that, once when Jesus was twelve years old, he had gone to Jerusalem with his parents and got lost, (as his parents thought). But, afterwards it was found that actually Jesus was totally absorbed in the religious and philosophical discourse with the great scholars of Israel. This description sufficiently throws light on his character and shows how keen and unique he was as a student. His passion for learning must have been great. Not much is known about his teen-age as a student or about his youthful formative phase of life. The Four Gospels record only of his Baptism and other activities of 30 years old Jesus. What he had been doing and where (during his teen age and young age) is completely unknown.

It is also important to note that many scholars believe that Jesus did not die immediately after Crucifixion and had lived working and preaching in disguise after the Resurrection. Andris Faber Keiser’s book Jesus died in Kashmir, opens-up many unsolved issues, regarding the historical facts related with Jesus Christ and tries to provide some logical and factual answers. But much research is still needed to confirm Mr. Keiser’s theories. Mr. Keiser writes in his book that one Russian scholar Nekolie Notobich had visited the remote parts of Laddakh in the later half of Nineteenth Century and seen a Manuscript (MSS) written in ancient Pali script (in the library of Buddhist Monastery) mentioning about the life of Jesus Christ.

This MSS had also recorded the events of Jesus Christ’s visit to India and Nepal. It was written that after the visit to Nepal, he had gone to Tibet. The fifth sloka in Fourth Chapter of that MSS had even described the birth of Jesus - says Mr. Keiser in his book.

This MSS further says that Jesus had first crossed five rivers and reached Anjab (Punjab), where he met Jain Saints. He proceeded further and after crossing northern India, Jesus reached Jagannath Puri, where he studied Vedantas. (Meaning that most likely he studied Upanishadhas, along with other works like Brahman Granths, etc.) After this, he travelled to Raj-Griha and Varanashi (the famous seats of learning of Buddhism and Hinduism, respectively).

He was very popular not only with Brahmin scholars of Eastern India, but also with lower cast intellectuals. As he strongly believed on equality of all the human beings and accordingly, tried to enlighten and uplift Sudras (lowest cast people). Later on, he entered Iran. From Iran he gradually came back to Israel at the age of only 21 according to this Pali MSS records. It is very evident from this description that Jesus was highly influenced by the highest level of philosophy of life and wisdom found in Upanishadhas of ancient Hindus and compassion and equality of Buddhism but, he also knew about the destitutes, suppressed and sick people of the known world.

Jesus Christ’s second visit to India (Kashmir) seems to have occurred after the crucifixion. After being treated, his followers seems to have removed his (supposed to have dead) body to the safe places. As there was great danger to his life, Jesus seems to have left Israel for Eastern Asia, in search of the lost tribes of Israelites. It is believed that he had reached Taxasila with his mother. She died in a place, which is even now called Mai Mary Da Sthan, where even now, one can see a tomb of Mary.

Jesus travelled further and reached Kashmir. Dr Jyotsna writes [Kadambani, Dec. 1990] that there are even now some people, who claim to be the descendents of Jesus Christ in Kashmir Valley. It seems that during his second visit to Kashmir, he seems to have met a Shaka or Hindu King of India. Jesus seems to have died in Sri-Nagar in his old age and a tomb in Rasaballa is regarded as his, which is visited and worshipped even now by Hindus and Christians of Kashmir, writes Dr. Jyotsna.

The original part of Bhabishya Purana (Hindu Mythological Records) widely believed to have been written at around 115 AD, has also noted the meeting of Yisu Mashi with Emperor Shalibahana, the grandson of Vikramaditya (?) [Bhabishya Purana, Part 1, Chapter 20, p. 416, Shanskriti Sansthan, Barelly, India]. In Verse 21-24 it is stated that this king of India (Shalibahan) had conquered Huna Desha (Western Tibet) and meet one hermit in the white robe in the mountains.

He is said to have told the king that he was born son of a virgin, his name was Isamasi and he was Prabakta (spokesman) and Son of God. After this, this Hindu king seems to have patronized Jesus and helped him. As Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityana writes [Kumaun, Gyana Mandala, Publication #85, p. 54] that any Shaka king could have been called Shalibahana and therefore, this so called grandson of Vikramaditya could have been any one of the contemporary Shaka kings.

There are other theories also. In his book ‘A History of Kashmir’, Mr. P.N. Kaul Bamjai quotes Kalhana’s famous Rajatarangini, which says "... the nobles of Kashmir invited from India a relative (grandson or descendent?) of king ‘Vikramaditya’ and crowned him as King of Kashmir, under the name Pratapaditya-I ...". In the opinion of this author, he might have been the king, whom Jesus had met in the ‘mountain’s (of Kashmir). It is because of the fact that during his second visit, Jesus seems to have lived only in Gandhara Region of Afghanistan and Kashmir of India and his time is immediately after the Sunga dynastic Kings of Northern India (185-73 BC). As Samundra Gupta ‘Vikramaditya’s’ time falls some 300 years after the death of Christ, it seems possible that the ‘Vikramaditya’ mentioned by Kalhana in Rajatarangani was Pushpa Mitra Sunga, who had also built a great empire and performed Asho-megha Yagna, which could entitle him to declare himself Vikramaditya. (Although, in Indian History he is not called ‘Vikramaditya’.) This is yet another possibility and further research is needed to establish this theory.

It is also highly probable that he must have entered Nepal through Raj Griha-Vaisali and Lumbini. Then, afterwards, he must have taken the ancient salt route and travelled to Pokhara-Mustang-Lo-sman Thang and Tibet on his way back to Iran and Israel during the first visit to India and Nepal.

Wegner & Dhimay

By Perina Pathak

He is fifty-three but still equally energetic and hard working. Whenever he plays a musical instrument - traditional Nepali or Western - he produces soothing and perfect music. When he plays the traditional dhimaybaja during a Bhaktapur jatra, audiences are frenzied and enthralled. They wonder how a foreigner can play a traditional drum that is popular among Newar farmers of the Kathmandu Valley.

Even this master musician from Germany, Dr Gert Matthias Wegner, had never thought that one day he would become a resident of Bhaktapur and a teacher of local drums. An ethnomusicologist with a Ph.D. on an Indian tabla tradition, Wegner first came to Kathmandu 20 years ago as a member of the German Nepal Research Programme. His aim was to document endangered musical traditions of Nepal. In the course of this work, he went through traditional apprenticeships with masters from many different Newar castes of Bhaktapur and studied all the drumming traditions of the town. Soon he found himself accepted as a guru not only of tabla but of Newar drums as well.

Many local teenagers approached him to learn from him and since have come out with their own groups. ‘‘Dhimay drumming being a male tradition, it took many years, before I had a chance to teach the first girl. Her brother and his friends had already started their daily lessons, when she surprised me having memorized all the lessons while listening from the next room. She played better than the boys. Since then, Indira Lachhimasyu from Dattatreya has performed also in Europe and has taught many other girls of her neighbourhood.’’

In 1996 Wegner founded the Kathmandu University Department of Music in Bhaktapur. This is the only university department in South Asia offering fully-fledged B.A. and M.A. courses in ethnomusicology along with performance training in several music traditions. Since 1996, the school has attracted students from eighteen different countries, including Nepal.

The Department of Music at Bhaktapur is situated in a beautifully restored Shivalaya temple area, the courtyard of which is still used by local people for rituals. The main building has a seminar room, a library, a climatized sound archive, a digital recording studio and a beautiful exhibition of musical instruments collected by Wegner in many parts of Nepal and other countries including India, China, Bhutan, South America, Africa, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Philippines and Europe.

Pointing at five types of mvaling kept in a showcase, Wegner says, "These instruments have almost disappeared from Nepal." Mvaling is a traditional shawm played by Jugi tailor-musicians. Jugis are descendants of Kanphata Jogis (hermits), who arrived in Nepal 300 years ago and settled in the towns of the Kathmandu Valley."King Bhupatindra Malla was an excellent composer of dapha songs. He created the first two navadapha ensembles for the praise of Bhaktapur’s gods Taleju and Bhairav.

Bhupatindra Malla donated a set of instruments along with land endowments for the survival of this tradition. Unfortunately, land reforms in the early 1960ies robbed many of these music groups of their financial basis. Nowadays, there is no rice to pay for the repair of musical instruments, for lamp oil, for the re-writing of song books, for the musical services of the Jugi musicians or for an annual feast. The tradition dies.

There are also other reasons for the rapid change in our music cultures. Nowadays it is financially not feasible to re-establish the monumental guthi funding system of old Nepal. Instead, musicians have to find ways of making a living through their music. If there is an income, there is interest.’’

Wegner has created jobs for some of his Bhaktapur gurus as music teachers and performers at his school. In fact, all staff members – with the exception of security guards – are also musicians. He believes that - instead of forgetting these traditions by cutting our roots - we should discover the joy of working creatively with them. ‘‘Change needs to be channeled into a less destructive course. Right now it happens like a wild river.’’

Meeting Dr. Wegner is very exciting as he can speak Nepali and Newari fluently like local people. To preserve traditional music, Wegner has carried out a vast number of audio recordings. He also produces CDs with Nepalese musical traditions. Showing an old Sarangi fiddle of the late Gaine Krishna Gopal of Bhaktapur, he said, "Fortunately, we have recorded his complete repertoire of songs. Otherwise his great talent would have been lost and forgotten."

When Wegner began working for the foundation of a university department of music studies in Nepal, he received continuous support from the then Ministry of Education and Culture. Initial interest at Tribhuvan University was stifled by a lethargic administration. Finally, Kathmandu University accepted the project. He rented the temple area for twenty years and generated funds to renovate the buildings. ‘‘Traditional music should be taught in a traditional setting.’’

Last summer, the Bhaktapur Nagar Palika have removed the debris and silt from the blocked river bed. ‘‘Now the flood problem has been solved,’’ he sighs with relief. He developed a notation for the orally transmitted repertoire of Newar drums. Students at the Department of Music use this notation as a learning aid. Wegner finds it astonishing how little the different people of Nepal know about each other. What do they teach children at school? One should start with music.''

Heritage tour
Nyatapola Temple

By Razen Manandhar

We must be proud that our forefathers have left lots of things for us to wonder. Among them, the grand temple behind the Durbar Square of Bhaktapur is one. They we so much skilled that they could construct about 100 feet high temples, with no other materials than mud, bricks, wood and a bit of stones. The Nyatapola temple (known as five-storey pagoda to others) is standing upright today. The temple is going to celebrate its 300th birthday soon next week.

King Bhupatindra Malla had the temple of Nyatapola constructed in Nepal Era 822 (in 1702 AD), which lies at Tomarhi tole of Bhaktapur. Some say that there had been a simple five-storey temple there and the king only made it grand, in the course of competition among the several states of today’s Kathmandu Valley to decorate their states with the biggest structures. Today, this pagoda stands as the biggest temple of the valley.

The temple is made on brick and stone plinths made on 22.5 X 22.5 metre square. On fifth plinth, there stands the elegant temple with five roofs made one on another. surrounded by fife arches on each side. A long straight stone series of steps takes you to the top, which is also a suited view point to get a panoramic picture of Bhaktapur. One can see giant pairs of warriors, elephants, lions, griffins and tantric deities on either side of the steps.

None of the wooden pegs, beams, supporting structures in the temple are placed without adding a taste of art on them. The ends of the beams spread on the ceiling are given head-figures of legendary animals and skeletons. The doors are so delicately carved that one can find images of gods, guards or animals on every inch And so are the decorative windows on either sides. They are not randomly put but the artists were following an unwritten tradition of which deity should occupy which space of the temple.

Simlarly, there are similar windows on other floors too. The roofs are made of wood beams with local tiles on them and supporting struts. The struts are, like in other pagodas, the major attractions of the temple. There are in total colourful 108 struts with images of deities and 529 wind-bells under the five roofs. The gold-plated pinnacle of the temple is said to be of almost 100 kg. One can hardly imagine how the people of Bhaktapur brought it up to 100 feet without any crane.

Historians say it took only six months to complete the whole temple, it is an example of mideaval construction management. They have found out that 1.1 million bricks and 100,000 tiles were used to construct the temple. Eight kilns were set around the site and thousands people from all areas of the Bhaktapur state were invited to contribute in the making of the matchless temple. Even the kings of surrounding states visited the site to observe the construction process. A 48-day long worshipping took place when the temple was consecrated. The king was so happy that threw a dinner to over 2,000 people and he presented a golden crown to the first priest who consecrated the temple on that occasion.

The main deity inside the temple has been kept secret. They believe that the mystic deity is very powerful and anybody’s entrance to the temple who is not strong to see the deity might even die. Only a edified priest can enter the temple once a year.

Quoting the priest historian Dr Purushottam Locan Shrestha said : The temple houses Goddess Siddhi Laxmi — a union of Chandi Bhadrakai, Pratyangira and Siddhi Laxmi — the supreme savior of the city of Bhaktapur. She has nine heads, 16 arms. She is sitting on Rudra who himself has made Betal his mattress. The goddess is flanked by Mahakal Bhairav and Smashan Bhairav on both sides. The whole image is made on one single piece of stone.

Religious importance aside, the temple has been a mystery to the present engineers. They say that the secret behind the strength of the temple is the perfect combination among the foundation, plinth and the temple structure. Even when the valley was hit with over 8 rector scale earthquake and hundreds of temples collapsed completely, the Nyatapola Temple lost only its top floor. It was renovated several times, Late King Mahendra did in 1962 and Bhaktapr Municipality in 2000.

The heritage is standing today with pride, as a challenge to the modern technology and people’s lukewarm attraction to the beauty of the past. Howsoever, the 300-year old legacy is not safe. Many of the idols on the fist floors have stolen. The paintings were damaged. The sculpture of the warrior was damaged by a vehicle. The local government at least must do something to stop the vehicles plying in front of the temple.

Sinners in Heaven at Yak & Yeti

Techno, Trance, electronic, rock and even bits of TOP POP music were the beat that everyone swung their hips to. As the night progressed Nafisa made a grand entrance in the Elevator from Hell and the crowd exploded. Never has there been so many people dancing for such a long time in Kathmandu.......at least not in recent times.

Throw in a sizzling DJ, an MTV VJ and more than 600 wildly enthusiastic people. What do you have? The amazing-Sinners in Heaven Party at Hotel Yak and Yeti.

Friday June 14th was a day most people in Kathmandu won’t easily forget. One of the hottest DJ from DJINNS at Hyatt, New Delhi-Rumy Sharma rocked the atrium till the twilight zone along with the former Miss India and widely popular VJ from MTV, Nafisa Joseph.

Needless to say, it was a great hit. The entire atrium at Hotel Yak and Yeti had been decorated to reflect the "Sinner in heaven" theme including the "Pearly Gates of Heaven" along with St. Peter and the Grim Reaper. Along with unlimited drinks and sinful culinary treats, this party was collection of tempting activities. One week ahead of time, the sensation of Sinners in Heaven was created by the Hotel with heavy promotion.

Walking around Kathmandu’s street it was hard to miss the burning eyes of the "Sinner" and with a multifaceted campaign involving TV, Newspaper, Mobile Hoarding and FM Radio the response was overwhelming.

Techno, Trance, electronic, rock and even bits of TOP POP music was the beat that everyone swung their hips to. As the night progressed Nafisa made a grand entrance in the Elevator from Hell and the crowd exploded. Never has there been so many people dancing for such a long time in Kathmandu.......at least not in recent times. Sweaty dancers and gyrating bodies finally left the atrium in the wee hours of the morning with a grin on their face and story to tell their friends who were not lucky enough to attend this grand event.

As all Yak and Yeti events has been huge successes, like Mardi Gras and Gaia- World Music Festival, it is a safe bet to say that we will be seeing more of these events in the near future. So stay tuned and rock on. – BG

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