Paranormal
The story of the resurrection of Jesus has been one that is important to the essence of Christianity, inasmuch as it represented an acceptance of his sacrifice for humanity. So the Bible tells us. However, no documentation exists as to his whereabouts afterwards, aside from the 11 appearances he makes to disciples and brethren in and around the area of Syria, Israel and Turkey. There is of course, the claim of ascendance to heaven after 40 days, which may have most likely been a claim made to explain the cessation of appearances being made or the cessation of mass hallucinations which may have been the cause of the 11 appearances.When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
There are two places which claim to house the final resting place of Jesus, one in India and one in Japan.
India
Purported route taken by Jesus to get to Kashmir
In the Khanyar district of Kashmir, India, is the "Roza Bal," a tomb which has been claimed to house the sarcophagus of Jesus. It is a place revered by Hindus, Moslems and Buddhists in the area.
Roza Bal in Kashmir (Credit: Ken Lee)
Sarcophagus that contains the body of Christ. Not open to public.
The claims that this tomb is the final resting place of Jesus is the culmination of text from various sources and clues from in and around the area.
The Bhavishya Purana is an ancient Sanskrit text that was written before 3BC as far as referenced sources can site. It is a book containing verses that are regarded as prophecies regarding Islam, the Bible, Christianity and Jesus Christ.
Once upon a time the subduer of the Sakas went towards Himatunga and in the middle of the Huna country (Land of the Hun Dynasty, in Western Tibet), the powerful king saw an auspicious man who was living on a mountain. The man's complexion was golden and his clothes were white.
The king asked, 'Who are you sir?' 'You should know that I am Isha Putra, the Son of God', he replied blissfully, and 'am born of a virgin.'
'I am the expounder of the religion of the Mlecchas (unbelievers) and I strictly adhere to the Absolute Truth.' Hearing this the king enquired, 'What are religious principles according to you opinion?'
Hearing this questions of Salivahara, Isha (Jesus) putra (son) said, 'O king, when the destruction of the truth occurred, I, Masiha (messiah) the prophet, came to this country of degraded people where there are no rules and regulations. Finding that fearful irreligious condition of the barbarians spreading from Mleccha-Desha (land of unbelievers), I have taken to prophethood'.
Please hear Oh king which religious principles I have established among the mlecchas (unbelievers). The living entity is subject to good and bad contaminations. The mind should be purified by taking recourse of proper conduct and performance of japa (meditation, chanting). By chanting the holy names one attains the highest purity. Just as the immovable sun attracts, from all directions, the elements of all living beings, the Lord of the solar region, who is fixed and all-attractive, attracts the hearts of all living creatures. Thus by following rules, speaking truthful words, by mental harmony and by meditation, Oh descendant of Manu (A mythological figure; The first King of Earth), one should worship that immovable Lord'.
Having placed the eternally pure and auspicious form of the Supreme Lord in my heart, O protector of the earth planet, I preached these principles through the Mlecchas (unbelievers)' own faith and thus my name became 'isha-masiha' (Jesus the Messiah).
Another name given to Jesus, aside from the Arabic inflexion of Isa, is "Yuz Asaf," a name which derived from his travels and stay in Persia.
In addition, there is the Tahrik-e-Kashmir (A History of Kashmir) compiled in the 17th Century.
The Glass Mirror is a Chinese document originating from Tibet, containing another reference to Jesus:After him his son Akh came to the throne. He ruled for sixty years. It is said that he founded the village of Achabaal in Kothar district. After him his son Gopananda took the reigns of Government and ruled the country under the name of Gopadatta. During his reign many temples were built, and on top of Mount Solomon the dome of the temple became cracked. He deputed one of his ministers named Sulaiman who had come from Persia, to repair it. The Hindus objected that he was an infidel of another religion. During this time, Hazrat Yuz Asaf having come from (Bait-ul-Muqaddas) the Holy Land to the valley (wadi-i-Aqdas) proclaimed his prophethood. He devoted himself day and night to prayers to God, and having attained the heights of piety and virtue, he declared himself to be a Messenger of God for the people of Kashmir. He invited people to his religion. Because the people of the valley had faith in this Prophet, Raja Gopadatta referred the objection of the Hindus to him. It was because of this Prophet's order that Sulaiman, whom Hindus called Sandeman, completed the repairs of the dome. Year fifty and four, On one of the stones of the stairs he (Sulaiman) inscribed:
In these times Yuz Asaf proclaimed his prophethood (dar een waqt Yuz Asaf da'wa-i-paighambari mikunad), and on the other stone of the stairs he also inscribed that he (Yuz Asaf) was Yasu, Prophet of the Children of Israel (aishan Yasu paighambari-Beni Israel ast). I have seen in a book of the Hindus that this Prophet war really Hazrat Isa (Jesus), Ruh-Allah (the spirit of God) on whom be peace, and had also assumed the name of Yuz Asaf.
As a final piece of evidence presented, are a set of footprints from in front of the Roza Bal:"Yesu, the teacher and founder of the religion, who was born miraculously, proclaimed himself the Savior of the world. He commanded his disciples to observe the ten vows [Ten Commandments], among which includes prohibition of manslaughter and attainment of eternal joy through good deeds. He preached that evil actions plunge one into hell, where there is eternal torment and misery. A sin committed in a state of consciousness cannot be condoned or pardoned. This is one of the virtuous results emerging out of the teachings of the Buddha. His doctrines did not spread extensively, but survived in Asia, for a long period. The above information is derived from the Chinese treatises on religions and doctrines."
The footprints clearly show that the sculptor was depicting the feet of a man who had been wounded, and he wished to portray this in some manner
Japan
The Shingo Village of Aomori, Japan has a local legend that Jesus traveled across Asia and settled in their village where he died at the age of 106. He also had a Japanese wife, he fathered three children and was buried in a relatively simple mound. It is also said that his place on the cross was casually taken by his brother as Jesus himself escaped, travelled through Asia and finally travelled across sea from Vladivostok, Russia!
There are also residents of the village who claim to be direct descendants of Jesus, who own the land containing his grave, as they have ever since he was buried there.
A low-key mound that serves as Jesus' grave in Japan
To add to the mystery, a tradition of marking the forehead of babies with crosses from charcoal and ancient kimonos sport the Star of David on them. Although he performed no miracles there, he did partake in several good deeds, such as travelling great distances to get food for the villagers during a famine.
While there are considerably fewer references and sources for the claim, most believe the Takeuchi Documents, which was what originally what brought the town to the limelight, to be elaborate hoaxes. No major investigation has taken place regarding the assertion by the claimants and villagers.
The stories of Jesus' sightings, travels and teachings after his resurrection have always existed, though disparately. It is stories such as these, real of fake, that possibly reaffirms one's faith and simulatenously may help to spread it to a population who may otherwise be unable to identify with an idea that originated in a place they'll never know.
