Roza Bal
Roza Bal is the name of a shrine located in the Khanyar district of Srinagar, in Kashmir, India, venerated by some Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. Some people identify the sage buried there with one Yuz Asaf, that is Jesus of Nazareth, whom they allege to have arrived in Kashmir after surviving his crucifixion.[1]
The tomb itself consists of a low rectangular building on a raised platform, surrounded by railings at the front. It has three arches at the front, where entry can be had, and four arches at the side. Inside is a rock carving that is said to show feet bearing crucifixion wounds. The body is buried according to the Jewish tradition of directions and not according to rules of Islam. However, the building also houses the burial tomb of a local Muslim saint, Mir Sayyid Naseeruddin, who has been buried in line with Islamic directions.
The tomb had previously been maintained by local descendants of the buried sage. It is currently maintained by a Board of Directors consisting of Sunni Muslims. Sahibzada Basharat Saleem, a former caretaker (now deceased), claimed to hold genealogical tables that link him as a direct descendant of the buried sage.[2] In recent times another man was buried there, who is revered by some local Muslims as a Sufi saint, although others point to historical data that he was only the shrine's long-serving caretaker.[citation needed] Efforts are currently underway to obtain DNA [1] from the tomb to help ascertain the identity and/or eras of the men buried within and the claims for their descendants. In recent times, a fictional thriller by Ashwin Sanghi entitled The Rozabal Line has popularized the notion that Jesus may have survived the crucifixion, travelled to India, and may have been buried in Kashmir having left behind a bloodline in the region.
In 2003, The BBC first televised a documentary that included a section on the story of Yuz Asaf titled "Did Jesus Die?"[3]
See also
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (April 2009) |
- ^ Several authors have held the view that Jesus had travelled to the Indian subcontinent including Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the Russian traveler Nicolas Notovitch.
- ^ James Polster: Mystery of the Martyr's Tomb. Yahoo! News, May 15, 2006
- ^ "Did Jesus die?". BBC. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
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Notes
- Roza Bal, The Tomb of Jesus by Fida Hassnain and Suzanne Olsson, Booksurge in USA, Gulshan Pub. in India (2008) 9781419697586 Examines the tomb history and its links with Jesus as Yuz Asaf.
- Jesus in Kashmir, The Lost Tomb by Suzanne Olsson, Booksurge USA, (2005) Gulshan Publishing, India
- A search for the Historical Jesus by Prof. Fida Hassnain. Gill & Macmillian, Ireland
- The Fifth Gospel by Fida Hassnain. Bluedolphin Publishing.USA
External links
- The Tomb of Jesus Website (site examines theory of Jesus in India. Includes videos and photos of Roza Bal)
- Pictures of Roza Bal (site subscribes to the identification with Jesus)