Kolkata-based author Debashree Chakraborty writes a novel about the 19 years of life of Jesus, which, according to some contemporary texts, he spent traveling extensively in the Middle East, Sindhu region and India

[Author’s Note: In the Old Testament of the Bible, there is no information about the life of Jesus for 19 years. There are some contemporary texts where eyewitnesses have stated that he traveled extensively in the Middle East and crossed the Sindhu region to enter India. Through this novel, I have tried to portray the diary of a profound spiritual journey of his life in the initial and final chapters. Foreign powers have tried to erase the history of our continent, Asia. That is why, when Notovitch returned from Hemis in Ladakh and mentioned that ancient text over 2000 years old, Max Müller sent people to Hemis to destroy that ancient manuscript. The mysterious manuscript is also mentioned in the book by Swami Abhedananda about Kashmir and Tibet. What was it that caused Max Müller so much concern over this manuscript? It is noteworthy that love cannot come into the life of the son of God, and he cannot have any children. Even the Gospels attributed to him have been confined to the secret, dark chambers of the Pope’s city, with words implanted into his mouth according to their wishes. In his name, imperialistic aggression is being carried out across the world. His only daughter, Sara, has not been recognized. His entire existence has been imprisoned. There lies an unknown chapter of his life hidden throughout the Middle East, the Sindhu region, and India. I have brought forth this history through this novel. “An Unknown Life” is in no way a novel imitating “Jesus lived in India.” This novel provides detailed descriptions of his presence across the vast land from Israel to India, not just his own, but also the mysterious narratives of many people associated with him. Was Jesus truly the founder of Christianity? If not, why must he still bear the burden of the “Roman Cross”? Is there ever to be a possibility of his release? All answers are coming. Debashree Chakraborty]

An Unknown Life

(Location: France, Rennes-le-Château) (Time: 1885 to 1917)

To the east of Paris lies the small village of Rennes-le-Château, nestled along the slopes of the mountains. This village holds an inexplicable mystery, as if time itself has come to a standstill. The village is several thousand years old, and once, knights resided here. The ancient castles and churches remain almost unchanged. Today, the village is inhabited by farmers who cultivate the terraced lands on the hillsides. The environment is lush and green, with dense forests surrounding the paths, where dried leaves form a carpet-like layer. Along the roadsides, ancient castles and churches seem to be hiding some great secret.

Today is the first of July. A month ago, on June 1st, Bérenger Saunière arrived in this village as the priest of the local church. Since coming to this village in the foothills of the Pyrenees, Saunière had been feeling restless. Something was here—something he was unknowingly searching for. Every year, he received six pounds sterling from the church, an amount sufficient for a man living alone. To manage his daily affairs, he hired an 18-year-old farmer’s daughter named Marie Denarnaud. Marie took care of all his daily tasks, while Saunière spent his time immersed in Greek and Latin texts. The rest of his time was spent visiting homes in the village and neighboring villages, engaging in discussions with the locals.

Through these interactions, Saunière developed a deep bond with the villagers and gathered information about Rennes-le-Château. One day, he came across a piece of information that shook him to his core and robbed him of sleep. There was a forested area in the village, where the ancestral home of a two-thousand-year-old knight, Bertrand de Blanchefort, still stood. Pilgrims traveling from Northern Europe to Spain used to take shelter in this house, believing it to be a sacred place where all sins would be cleansed.

Connected to this residence was an ancient church, under which lay a mysterious tomb. Now, the house and the church were in ruins, abandoned by pilgrims. Nature seemed to be slowly reclaiming the site, with tall trees and dense vines making it almost invisible from the outside. Saunière had walked past this place many times but had never realized such a sacred site was hidden within the thick vegetation.

The first time an elderly villager showed Saunière this place, she said, “He has suffered enough in life; now he is resting. Nature has prepared a beautiful resting place for him.” In 1891, Saunière shared this discovery with his friend Baudet and expressed his desire to restore the site so that pilgrims could once again find refuge there. His friend advised him to follow his instincts, suggesting that perhaps divine guidance was leading him to this mission.

With this in mind, Saunière borrowed funds from the village treasury and began restoring the church and the adjacent residence. The church altar was supported by two Visigothic pillars. Based on what he had heard from the villagers, he believed that a great secret was hidden beneath the altar. He had the altar stone removed and found a wooden box containing two parchments. These parchments contained genealogies as well as cryptic Latin inscriptions—fragmented and deliberately obscured sentences that hinted at something deeply hidden.

One of the parchments read:

“Shepherd, no temptation… The Chick Tenierers… PAX DCLXXXI… The key is near the cross… and God’s horse I destroy at noon, the guardian of the blue apple demon.”

Saunière deciphered it as:

“Shepherd, no temptation… That Pausin, Tenierers, hold the key, peace 681. By the cross and God’s horse, I shall completely destroy the guardian of the demonic bone.”

Another cryptic message mentioned:

“Dagobert II, king, and Sion hold this treasure, and he is dead there.”

Since he could not fully decipher the meaning, Saunière sent the parchments to the Bishop of Carcassonne. However, even the bishop could not interpret them and advised him to travel to Paris at his own expense. There, he met with prominent religious figures, including Abbé Bieil, director of the Saint-Sulpice Seminary, and his nephew, Emile Hoffet. Hoffet was a renowned expert in linguistics, cryptography, and paleography and had deep connections with several secret societies in Paris and beyond.

Hoffet introduced Saunière to members of these societies, known as the “Brotherhood,” who pursued ancient wisdom and power. Saunière spent several weeks among them, but no records exist of their discussions. During this period, he frequently visited the Louvre and commissioned street artists to create copies of three specific paintings—one of Pope Celestine V, another by David Teniers, and the third, Nicolas Poussin’s Les Bergers d’Arcadie (The Shepherds of Arcadia).

After returning to the village, Saunière began corresponding with unknown individuals in Austria, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland, engaging in mysterious exchanges. Meanwhile, he resumed restoring the church, constructing roads and gardens, and even building a house with a grotesque demonic statue at its entrance. This house contained various collected artifacts, but Saunière himself never lived there.

During the church renovations, further excavations were conducted beneath the altar, where workers discovered a hidden chamber. When informed, Saunière rushed to the site with a torch and entered the chamber, where he found a tomb with mysterious murals. One depicted Christ’s crucifixion, another showed his burial, and the third depicted people removing his body from the tomb. In this last image, Christ was seen walking, leaning on the shoulders of his followers. If he had truly died, how could he be walking?

The tomb bore an inscription, which Saunière had erased. He also collected several stone tablets from different parts of the village, which were secretly handed over to unidentified individuals under the cover of night. What these inscriptions contained remains unknown.

Following this discovery, Saunière began receiving large sums of money, rapidly becoming wealthy. When higher church authorities demanded an explanation for his sudden fortune, he refused to disclose any details. Since no one was willing to replace him, the church reluctantly allowed him to remain in his position.

Then came a time of strange and inexplicable events.

On January 17, 1917, Saunière suddenly fell ill. His housekeeper informed everyone that he had suffered a heart attack. Upon hearing this, a bishop from Paris rushed to his side. Witnesses claim that after speaking privately with Saunière, the bishop fell into complete silence, never uttering another word. Shortly afterward, he resigned from his position.

An eerie detail surfaced: while Saunière suffered a heart attack on the 17th, his housekeeper had purchased a coffin for him on the 12th.

On January 22, Saunière passed away. The next day, his body was placed on a chair at the steps of Tour Magdala, dressed in red robes. Several mysterious, unknown visitors came to pay their respects. The villagers had never seen these men before. They quietly cut small pieces from Saunière’s clothing and left.

After his death, all his wealth was inherited by his housekeeper, Marie Denarnaud, who lived in comfort for the rest of her life. (Continues)

Click here for Part-1, Part 2, Part-3, Part-4, Part-5, Part-6, Part-7, Part-8, Part-9, Part-10, Part-11, Part-12, Part-13, 

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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date, was published last year and translated by Nasir Aijaz into Sindhi language.