The Rozabal Line (6 page)

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. The Gospel of Thomas. The Gospel of Judas.

The Gospel of Philip. Gospels that would be shut out by the Church fathers, in the same way that they had tried to shut out Dmitriy Novikov.

Paris, France, 1899

Dmitriy Novikov just couldn't believe it! He was finally being accepted into the Societe d'Histoire Diplomatique, the most exclusive and famous association of celebrated historians, writers, and diplomats. He could not believe that he was here among them all; he was both proud and relieved. He couldn't but help think back a dozen years to 1887 when he had discovered the ancient Issa manuscripts in Ladakh.

After his discovery, his intention had been to immediately publish the manuscripts. The archbishop of Parishad tried desperately to dissuade Dmitriy from doing so. Dmitriy had then gone to Italy to seek the opinion of a high-ranking cardinal, who had been equally and vehemently opposed to any such publication.

Dmitriy had, however, remained steadfast, and succeeded in getting a French publisher for his book, Les Annees Secretes de Jesus, The Secret Years of Jesus, which had eventually rolled off the press in 1896.

After publication, Dmitriy made a trip to Moscow, where he was immediately arrested by the Tsar's government for literary activity that was 'dangerous to the state and to society'. He remained exiled, without trial, for the next several years.

His book had stirred a hornet's nest of criticism. The renowned German expert, Max Muller, had led the critics who protested against any notion that Buddhism had influenced Christianity. Some critics had argued that Dmitriy Novikov had never visited the Hemis monastery in Ladakh and that the Issa manuscripts were a figment of his imagination.

Dmitriy Novikov had become a pariah and an untouchable. For a pariah to be accommodated into the Societe d'Histoire Diplomatique just a few years later was a rare honour indeed. Probably the Societe knew something that Max Muller didn't.

Possibly, they had read the works of Hippolytus.

Rome, Italy, A.D. 225

Hippolytus, a Greek-speaking Roman Christian, wrote: 'Buddhists were in contact 41

with the Thomas Christians in southern India . . . who philosophise among the Brahmins, who live a self-sufficient life, abstaining from eating living creatures and all cooked food . . . they say that God is light . . . God is discourse.'49

Trade routes between the Graeco-Roman world and the Far East were flourishing during the age of Gnosticism, and Buddhist missionaries had been active in Alexandria for several generations after Ashoka had first sent his emissaries to Ptolemy II.

The Thomas Christians of ancient India were named after Thomas Didymus, one of the twelve apostles of Christ. He had been speared to death in A.D. 72. No, he wasn't killed in Palestine or Egypt. He was killed near Mylapore, in southern India.

Before reaching the south, he had visited King Gondophares, whose kingdom lay in the northwest regions of India. He had even written about it in his Acta Thomae or The Acts of Judas Thomas.50

Historians and Church authorities alike had dismissed the very existence of any king called Gondophares. There was no record of any such king having ruled the northwest of India around that time. By 1854 all of them would have to eat their words.

Calcutta, India, 1854

Sir Alexander Cunningham, the first director of the Archaeological Survey of India, would report that King Gondophares could no longer be dismissed as fictitious.

Cunningham would report that, since the commencement of a British presence in Afghanistan, more than 30,000 coins had been discovered. Some of these coins had been minted by King Gondophares, who was now miraculously transformed from myth to reality.51 Suddenly, the Acta Thomae was no longer a work of imagination and copies of the book had necessarily to be moved from the fiction to the non-fiction shelves. In which case, one would also have to believe the rest of the book, right up to A.D. 72.

Mylapore, south India, A.D. 72

Thomas Didymus was praying in the woods outside his hermitage when a hunter, who belonged to the Govi clan, carefully aimed his poisoned dart and hit him.

The wound was critical and St Thomas died on 21 December, A.D. 72.52

Thomas had arrived in Cranganore, just thirty-eight kilometres away from Cochin, India, in A.D. 52. He had begun preaching the gospel to inhabitants of the Malabar Coast and had soon established seven churches in the region. Sometime before his arrival in southern India, he had been at the court of King Gondophares. The court had been celebrating the wedding of the king's daughter. Besides the wedding, there had been another celebration in the king's court. The apostle, Thomas, according to his own words in the Acta Thomae, had been able to meet and reunite with his master, Jesus, who was also present at the wedding,53 looking quite well and surprisingly relaxed for a man who had been crucified!

Chapter Eight

Balakote, Line of Control, Indo-Pakistan border, 2012

Balakote, a remote village on the India-Pakistan border, was literally sitting on 42

the fence. It was neither here nor there. The river, Jallas Nullah, flowed through the middle, 54 hence the village lay half in Pakistan and half in India. It was here that Ghalib was celebrating Id, having just returned from another meeting with the Sheikh.

He first checked the animal's eyes and ears to ensure that it was healthy. After all, only a healthy animal could be considered suitable for sacrifice. He then gave it water to drink and pointed the animal towards Mecca. He chanted, 'Bismillah, i-rahman, i-rahim--in the name of Allah, most gracious, most merciful. Sibhana man halalaka lil dabh--praise be upon He who has made you suitable for slaughter.' He slaughtered the lamb using the halaal method--cutting the animal's neck arteries with a single swipe of a non-serrated blade. He then watched the blood drain from the beast. As per religious law, he did not touch the animal until

it died.

It was Id ul-Adha and animal sacrifice was part of the festival. It was the tenth day of Dhul Hijja as per the Islamic calendar, and seventy days after the end of Ramazan.

Ghalib-bin-Isar, leader of the Lashkar-e-Talatashar, sat with his army around him in a semicircle. In the centre, the lamb was being roasted over a roaring fire, and another smaller fire was being used to bake naan.

Ghalib was overcome with emotion. He looked around him--at his team; these were his fiercest, most loyal companions. They would die for him willingly. He needed to show them that he not only loved them, but also respected them. He stood up and took off the Pathan-suit he was wearing and tied a coarse cotton cloth towel around himself. He filled the iron tub meant for the utensils with warm water. He called his comrades one by one and washed their feet, patting them dry with the towel. Boutros was reluctant to accept the ministrations of his leader, but Ghalib insisted.

Feet duly washed, they sat down and were served the lamb. Ghalib took the hot naan and, breaking it into pieces, lovingly served it to each ofhis men. He then spoke to Yehuda. 'In Srinagar, there is a Japanese woman looking for me. You will go, find her, and tell her that you will deliver me to her.'

The kahwa tea was boiling in the samovar. He poured it into a large bowl and passed it around. His young men would leave for each of their destinations within a few days. He knew his time had come.

Jerusalem, Judea, A.D. 27

Knowing that his time had come, Jesus asked that the Passover feast be organised. Before supper, Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer garment and tied a towel around himself. He then poured water into a basin and, one by one, washed his disciples' feet; he then wiped them dry with the towel. Simon Peter hesitated but Jesus insisted. He soon finished washing everyone's feet, put on his clothes and sat down at the table with his disciples.

While eating, Jesus remarked that he would be betrayed by one of the men around the table. Judas asked Jesus whether he was alluding to him. 'You have said it,'

replied Jesus.

During the meal, Jesus broke the bread into pieces and offered them to his 43

disciples while saying, 'Take this and eat; this is my body.' He then took a cup of wine and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, shed for the forgiveness of sins.'

Balakote, Line of Control, Indo-Pak border, 2012

Because the river Jallas Nullah flows through the centre of Balakote, either side of the landscape is dotted with rocky hills. Ghalib-bin-Isar wanted to explain the reasons and motivations behind his intended actions to his men as well as to the extended army. He stood atop one of the hillocks closest to the river and began to speak.

'Yourbeing poor does not mean that God does not love you. Thousands of rich Americans died in the Twin Towers on 9/11 by the will of Allah. He protected you! Not them!' he said as his army looked up at him in awe.

He continued, 'The families of those who died in New York mourned. They said,

"Had we known the evil that America does all around the world, we would never have supported our government." Let me tell you, Allah will protect these people who have now understood our cause. God will protect and comfort these mourners.'

He carried on in the same vein. 'The Americans say that we Muslims do not like their way of life and that we wish to destroy their free society. I ask you, why do we attack America and not Sweden? Sweden is as free as America. The difference lies in America's arrogance. Doesn't America know it is the meek that shall inherit the earth?'

The mood was jubilant and members of his team were getting charged up.

Ghalib raised his voice a little. 'Bismillah, i-rahman, i-rahim, in the name of Allah, do we not fast in the holy month of Ramazan and savour the delicious taste of food and water after the fast is over? That is precisely the way I want you to hunger and thirst for the word and for the will of Allah! The hungrier and thirstier you are, the more worthy you are in the eyes of God!

'Our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Lebanon, Kashmir, Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya have been murdered, looted and raped. Yet we have not done the same to the infidels who perpetrated these ghastly crimes. Instead, the will of Allah showered terror and fire on the perpetrators almost automatically. We are Muslims. We are merciful even in the most trying of circumstances!' thundered Ghalib.

His words were met by chants of 'Allah-o-Akbar!'

Ghalib's voice softened. 'All that God asks of us is to have a clear conscience.

Our hearts should remain clean and pure. Only this can ensure that we are victorious.

A'uzu billahi minashaitanir rajim!'

'The Qur'an55 tells us in Chapter 4, Verse 90: "Thus, if they let you be, and do not make war on you, and offer you peace, God does not allow you to harm them."

Don't you think that Muslims all over the world would prefer peace to war? Islam is a religion of peace and the peacemakers are beloved of Allah! Unfortunately, the infidels do not want peace!' shouted Ghalib.

Ghalib's voice was now choked with emotion. He continued, 'The Noble Qur'an 49:13 says that "the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you". For years we have been persecuted and have continued to remain righteous. This 44

is why we are beloved of Allah! Our friends who led the attacks on 9/11 willingly allowed themselves to be martyred for the cause of righteousness.'

He then drew to his conclusion. 'Do not worry if the world calls Ghalib a terrorist, or if my enemies hurl insults at you. As long as you do Allah's will, you shall have His reward. Keep this in mind when we execute our plan,' he said as he stood on the hill and looked at his followers with pure, raw emotion.

Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, A.D. 27

He stood on the hill and looked at his followers with pure, raw emotion as he delivered to them a sermon on the mount.56 High on a mountain, towards the north end of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum, Jesus spoke to his disciples and to a large gathering of followers:

'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil falsely against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.'

Balakote, Line of Control, Indo-Pak border, 2012

Ghalib lay on the resplendent shahtoosh shawl that was carefully laid out over the mattress inside his tent. In one corner sat a rose-water jar that had been sprinkled with Jannat-ul-Firdaus, literally, 'perfume from heaven'. Resting her head on his shoulder was his wife--his one and only wife, Mariyam. She had borne him a beautiful daughter, Zahira.

Unlike some Muslim men, Ghalib had remained devoted to a single wife. While the Qur'an sanctioned polygamy, Ghalib's view was that the Surah An-Nisa of the Qur'an actually said, 'Marry other women of your choice, two or three, or four, but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal evenly with them, then only one . . . '

Ghalib had decided on only one. She was the most exquisite creature that had ever lived, and he was hopelessly devoted to her. He lovingly ran his fingers through her silky reddish-brown hair as she nestled her head on his shoulder.

Presently, she got up to retrieve a small phial that she had prepared during the day. It was an intense, warm and fragrant musk that she had extracted from the fibrous spindle-like needles of the nalada plants that grew in the area.'This is just a small token of my love,' she said to Ghalib as she opened the phial and poured it over his feet. She applied the perfume to his feet and then lowered her head over them. Her soft hair trailed along his soles and produced exquisite sensations throughout his entire body. She then began kissing his feet and gently licking his toes. She playfully sucked on his toes while her hair continued to caress his skin. She guided him to her already wet and warm core and once he was fully inside, she kissed him passionately.

Gar bar-ru-e-zamin ast; hamin ast, hamin ast, hamin asto. The Persian couplet, 45

uttered by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir to describe the beauty of Kashmir, meant, 'If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here!'57

Ghalib remained in paradise with the wonderful scent of nalada wafting through his tent.

Bethany, Israel, A.D. 27

The Latin name nardostachys jatamansi58 was derived from the Sanskrit word nalada. This tough and hardy herb grew in the Himalayan foothills. The fibrous spindles of the plant grew underground and were rich in oil. This oil was made into a dry rhizome oil extract called nardin. This was the source of nard.

Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Mary Magdalene took a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume, poured it on Jesus's feet and wiped his feet with her hair. The house in which he satwas filled with the aromatic fragrance of the perfume.