Book Description

THE UNKNOWN LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST FROM AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT. RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN A BUDDHIST MONASTERY IN THIBET BY NICHOLAS NQTQVITCH... . TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH AND EDITED WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND ILLUSTRATIONS q VIRCHAND R. GANDHI, B. A. BOMBAY, INDIA. REVISED BY PROF. G. L. CHRISTIE, B. A. OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS. CHICAGO 1 INDO-AMERICAN BOOK CO. 1907. VO TABLE OF CONTENTS. TAGE, Preface vn Translators Introduction xr Journey to Thibet 33 The Life of Saint Issa . . 58 Summary 99 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Vale of Kashmir Frontispiece Shrinagar vi The Himis Monastery xni Inscription in the Himis Monastery xiv Solomons Throne 32 M. Notovitch on the March 35 Hari Parvat 57 The Seventh Bridge of Shrinagar 6 The Carriers of M. Notovitch 73 The Shaky Bridge of Kashmir 8l Scene Near Surghol 89 A Buddhist Monastery in Ladak 97 Lamieroo 105 Leh, as seen from outside the city 113 Leh, as seen from the market-place 121 cu bO a cu T W CO PREFACE. Subsequent to the Turkish war 1877-1878 I un dertook a series of journeys in the Orient. Having visited all the localities, more or less remarkable, of the. Balkan Peninsula, I crossed the Caucasus mountain to Central Asia and Persia, and finally in 1887 I started for India, a most extraordinary country, which had at tracted me from my early days. The aim of my journey was to become acquainted with the inhabitants of India, and to study on the spot their manners and customs, the grand and mysterious archaeology, and the colossal and majestic nature of this country. Wandering from one place to another, without a settled plan, I reached the mountainous Af ghanistan, from where I reached India by the pictur esque passes of Bolan and GuernaL Having ascended the Indus as far as Rawal Pindi, I crossed the Punjab, the country of the five rivers, and visited the Golden Temple of Armitsar and the tomb of Ranjit Sing, the king of the Punjab, near Lahore. I then directed my steps towards Kashmir, the valley of eternal felicity. There in order to satisfy my curiosity, I recommenced my wanderings and continued them until I arrived at Ladak, whence I decided to return to Russia, through Karak orroum and Chinese Turkestan. One day in the course of my visit to the Buddhist convent, situated on my route, I learnt from the chief Lama, that there existed in the archives of Lassa very ancient memoirs treating of the life of Jesus Christ and the nations of the Occident, and that certain great viii PREFACE. monasteries possessed copies and translations of those chronicles. As there was little probability that I should again visit those countries, I postponed to a future date my return to Europe, and, cost what it might, I resolved either to secure those copies from the great convents, or at any rate go to Lassa for further information on the subject a journey far from being so dangerous and difficult as we are led to believe. Moreover, by this time I was so well accustomed to these kinds of perils that they could not deter me from my undertaking. During my stay at Leh, the capital of Ladak, I vis ited the great monastery of Himis, situated near the city. The chief Lama of the monastery told me that the monastic library contained some copies of the manu script in question. Lest I should awaken the suspicion of the authorities on the object of my visit to the con vent, and thereby find obstacles in my character as a Russian in my future journey in Thibet, I determined to leave the capital of Ladak, and departed for India. An unfortunate fall, by which I broke my leg, furnished me with an unexpected pretext to return to the monas tery, where I received excellent care and during my short stay with the Lamas, I had the honor of obtaining the consent of their chief to have brought from the li brary the manuscript relating to Jesus Christ, and, aided by my interpreter, who translated for me from the Thibe tan language, I wrote down carefully the verses as they were read by the Lama...