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
(Time: 1209 AD, Location: Southern France)
Rennes-le-Château, a mountain village nestled at the foot of the Pyrenees in northeastern Languedoc. The village, tiered along the mountainside, possesses a peculiar enchantment. Local people reside in small houses amidst the dense foliage, most of them farmers. They spend their days cultivating the land, then gather in the village chapels in the evenings to pray. The people of this region are still pagan, so their form of worship and way of life are distinct from others. This village, along with the surrounding villages in southern France, feels like a region isolated from the rest of Europe. In the evenings, when the presence of thousands of stars in the sky becomes bright, a wave of cool air sweeps through the fields tiered along the mountain. During this time, a profound peace prevails in nature. It is perhaps in moments like these that the liberation people seek, free from all worldly bonds, arrives. The humming of prayers from the chapels merges with the sound of the wind and the babbling of springs, creating a spiritual current flowing over the entire mountainous region.
At such a moment, an army of nearly thirty thousand knights and foot soldiers from Northern Europe descended from the mountains like a whirlwind. The sound of horses’ hooves, mixed with swirling dust, took on the form of a monster. Indeed, this attack could only be described as a monster’s assault. Fires flared up in the terraced fields, and the cries of people echoed from all directions. These people were pagan, and this was a crusade by the Roman Church to eradicate the pagans. The attackers were instructed to kill indiscriminately anyone they saw, whether man, woman, or child, so that no trace of these pagans would remain. After the village was destroyed, it was proudly announced in the Pope’s territories, “Neither age, nor gender, nor status was spared.”
This massacre, which lasted for nearly forty years, is known in the pages of history as the “Albigensian Crusade.” Those who did not adhere to the Roman Church, those who were pagan, could be killed as desired, their property looted, their women raped, without any sin. These sins were considered equal to virtues. The entire region was known as Languedoc; it was an independent state, not connected to France in the true sense. The people here practiced the worship of power, and the place of women in their religious practices was extremely important. Both men and women served as the chief priests of their places of worship. They believed that when the vessel of sin was full on Earth, the “Rex Mundi,” the King of the World, would arrive, who would save the world from sin. Although the people of this region did not believe in the Catholic Church, they had immense faith and trust in Ishanath. They called him the King of the whole world, the son of God, or “Rex Mundi.” The Roman Church believed that the son of God could not have love in his life, nor could he have any children.
But the people living in this region recognized love and children in the life of the son of God. They also believed in a child made of the blood and flesh of God, which became a thorn in the side of the Roman Church. The people of this region called Ishanath “immortal,” and they denied Isha’s death by crucifixion. Their religious philosophy and ideas gradually began to inspire those around them, and they began to adopt this particular religious philosophy. Among them were many Catholic Christian communities who, fed up with the oppression of the Church, adopted this particular philosophy. These events had an impact on the Roman Church. Then, under the leadership of the Pope, a crusade was declared against the people of this region. Huge armies began to be formed under the leadership of various churches, and then this combined force of soldiers was sent to attack this region, with orders to kill indiscriminately. Because this region had given place to the generation made of God’s blood and flesh, a generation that the Romans would never accept. Hence such a massacre, so that nothing would be left. But even after this, some people of this community were alive. They fled from this region and took refuge in the impenetrable mountain caves, from where they continued to wage guerrilla warfare. No matter how hard one tries, everything cannot be finished. Something remains. From that remaining part, it starts again anew.
It was at such a time that four individuals emerged from the rugged mountains in the dead of night and moved towards their attacked homeland. Knowing that their lives were at risk, they continued towards this danger. Just days before this event, their enemies had imprisoned some members of their community in wooden boxes and burned them alive. Walking through this treacherous mountainous path, they entered a village in the darkness. This village was surrounded by dense forests, and though danger seemed to await them everywhere, they did not see any strangers. It was as if God had created such a mysterious environment. Then, the newcomers left this region with one of their most important treasures and disappeared again into the mountain crevices. As they vanished into the folds of the mountains in the darkness, fog began to cover the scene from all sides. Then, as the wheel of time turned, almost a thousand years passed.
In the evening of 2022, Omkari Panigrahi arrived in Rennes-le-Château. Ali came with him. Omkari did not like Ali’s presence; Ali seemed like a machine. Yet, some unknown controllers had sent Ali here with Omkari. They had received visas within three days, and everything from plane tickets to arrangements had been made. Omkari didn’t have to do anything. Only Ali was sent here with him. Flight from Alexandria to Paris, and a person was present at the airport beforehand. Omkari and Ali traveled to Rennes-le-Château in his car. From Paris, the car advanced through a mountainous environment. As Rennes-le-Château began to get closer, nature seemed to become greener. Farming was done in terraces on the mountainsides, and the car moved along a winding road beside them. On one side were terraced fields, and on the other side, dense forests clung to the mountainside. Among the forests were the ruins of old houses; these houses were completely different. Omkari had traveled to many places in Europe before, but he had never seen such architecture. After climbing quite high, the forest began on both sides of the road. Here, the forest was so dense that it created a mysterious atmosphere with a dim, shadowy environment.
It was as if this region was completely isolated from the rest of the world. Omkari felt as if he had traveled back thousands of years in time. The car came to a stop at a place on the side of the road. As the car stopped, Omkari asked, “How far is Rennes-le-Château from here?”
The driver looked back and said, “Madam, you are in Rennes-le-Château right now.” The driver pointed to the left and said, “See that house? Your accommodation has been arranged there. Come, let me take you inside the house.”
As soon as the driver got out of the car and opened the door, Omkari got out of the car and stood on the road. Ali opened the other door, came out, and walked towards the house with their luggage. There is a beautiful scent in the nature here; it is hard to imagine that there is a house in the middle of the surrounding forest. Most importantly, standing in 2022, this place seems to be stuck in ancient times. Time has become so still here that Omkari also feels like she has gone back thousands of years. Omkari was thinking deeply about many things; she herself probably doesn’t know how many streams of thoughts were flowing through her mind. At that moment, she felt as if someone spoke in a very loud voice. Omkari came back to reality and saw the driver brother telling her that she could walk around the village if she wished. They had stopped at several places on the way to eat, so she was not hungry now. The chirping of crickets was coming from both sides of the road, and various birds were calling from the branches of the surrounding trees. She loves walking alone like this, she never likes to be bound by any rules or discipline. She is running to different places like a kite with a broken string. Everything seems so unreal; she is not someone from the present time, she is moving forward in search of a character from the past, whose entire existence has been erased. But Omkari seems to be following the clues, however small, and walking through some invisible paths in the present time, she enters the past. Then, through time travel, by collecting various information, she tries to find a specific time and the person who disappeared at that time. This is how she has reached Rennes-le-Château. While walking, suddenly a group of white ducks walked from the right side of the road to the left. Omkari felt like those ducks were a group of seekers from the past who had come to show Omkari the right path. Following them, she reached the edge of a reservoir. There are dense trees near the reservoir. The ducks got into the reservoir. While taking pictures of them with her mobile camera, Omkari saw an old house by the reservoir. The stone of the house… moss had grown on the stone walls of the house. Some vines had climbed up the walls of the house. Omkari started walking towards the house along the reservoir. The house seemed to attract her like a magnet. Slowly, she reached the front of the house. At this moment, she was standing in front of a closed door. The door was not made of wood, but of some metal, but there was no rust on the door. Next to the door, there were strange and mysterious structures in the stone wall. Omkari could not understand the meaning of these structures. After standing for a while, a cold wind seemed to pass over her entire body, and Omkari began to feel a very deep satisfaction. As she closed her eyes for a few moments, she saw a woman with red hair and a child in her lap in a dark picture. As soon as she saw this scene, the picture became dark. Omkari quickly opened her eyes and started walking away from there. Who did she just see! Again, some strange feelings were trying to connect with her consciousness. Omkari didn’t look back even once, she kept running, and the picture of the red-haired woman kept floating in front of her eyes. The sound of ducks was coming from the direction of the lake, and Omkari felt like they were following her as she ran. Omkari’s breath was getting constricted, why was this happening! She kept running.
The driver was from this village, he had left a long time ago. Omkari came and saw Ali sitting alone. The house was also very mysterious, there must be something in this village that had drawn Omkari here. The house seemed to be a part of a medieval castle. The rooms of the stone house were in an L-pattern. There were several rooms in this house, and Ali was sitting in the living room. The outside door was open, so Omkari had no problem entering. Omkari entered the room and saw Ali sitting as if waiting for her. For the first time, Ali seemed normal. He looked at Omkari and said:
“Before leaving, he said that he would come after a while and take one of us to someone. You should take some rest, I will call you when he comes.”
“Which room will I stay in?”
“There are a total of three rooms in this house, each room is very dark and damp. I have kept your things in the room that has relatively more light and air circulation. Come, let me show you.”
Ali took Omkari to her room. Indeed, the inside of this house was very damp and dark. Staying here for too long might make her feel depressed. There was a scratching sound on the roof of the house. Ali looked at Omkari and said, “Don’t be afraid, old houses like this have rats. You see how much forest is around, snakes might also live here. But there’s nothing to be afraid of.” As Ali opened a door, a musty smell hit her nose. There was a red carpet on the floor, but it was covered in dust, as if the room hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. Ali had neatly placed Omkari’s bags in the cupboard in a corner of the room. The bed in this room also seemed very ancient. There was a picture of a red-haired woman hanging on the wall of this room. Omkari felt like she was dreaming again, she had seen this woman before, how did her picture get here! Seeing Omkari staring at the picture, Ali said, “I have seen this woman’s picture in another place in this house.” Omkari turned her eyes from the picture and looked at Ali and said, “Where?”
Ali said, “Come with me, I’ll take you.” They left the room and walked through the dark corridor. As they walked, Ali pointed to a door on the left and said, “Bathroom. There is another bathroom on that side, you will use this one, and I will use that one. Come.” As they walked, the path ended at a door, and there was a picture hanging on that door. As Ali turned on the searchlight of his mobile phone on the picture, Omkari was startled.
Omkari didn’t get to rest that day, the red-haired woman seemed to be dancing around in her head all the time. Then the driver came and took them to an old woman’s house. Their dinner was arranged at this old woman’s house. This old woman’s family has been living in this village for thousands of years. She is currently a living document of the history of this village. Since arriving at her house, discussions about the history of this village have been going on. From listening to the conversation, it is clear that she is indeed a living document. The old woman said:
“Some things were brought to this village from Montsegur to Rennes-le-Château in one night, which were priceless. It is not possible to determine its value with anything. Which was the Holy Grail.”
Omkari asked in surprise, “The Holy Grail? Where is that sacred vessel now?”
“Omkari, whatever holds sacred blood is the Holy Grail, it may not be a container made of metal. From Montsegur, it was first kept in a cave in Arnolaq in Auriège. Within hours of this incident, some members of this secret organization were killed. Later, another team took this treasure to Rennes-le-Château.”
Omkari asked in amazement, “What is that treasure?”
“What is that treasure? If I say that this treasure is related to an unknown chapter in the life of the son of God. The real life of the son of God has been erased. If this treasure comes to the fore, then that unknown chapter of his life will come before everyone.”
“Unknown chapter!”
“Yes, do you understand political monks? He was a political monk who created thousands more monks who silently protected his existence for several eras, or are still doing so. He was not the father of the religion that the Romans propagated in the name of Jesus. In order to recognize this false religion, the protectors of the false religion drew red crosses on white clothes and launched crusades! The way they attacked this region, so many innocent people died in it.”
“What was their complaint against these people?”
“From the beginning of time, people here practiced the power that has been worshiped on earth. The protectors of the attacking religion considered them to be devil worshipers. Their point was that the pagans of this region must be eliminated, only then maybe the Christian religion would be able to flourish. From 1175 to 1185, a French historian, Guillaume de Tyre, first wrote about them. It is known from his description that these political monks, followers of the ancient religion, used to wear white clothes. They had white ropes tied around their waists. They were proficient in various mysterious sciences including herbal science, astronomy, alchemy, and magic. At that time, they used to treat epilepsy. They used to kill their enemies by poisoning them. That is why they were called devil worshipers. They used to use the Swastika symbol of your Hindu religion. People of this community used to live in many places in Germany and Austria. Later, Hitler used this Swastika symbol to make a special place in world politics.”
“Did they have a special deity? Whom they worshiped, because you have repeatedly said that they were idol worshipers.”
“Yes, they worshiped Baphomet. Baphomet’s head was like a goat and his body was like a human. This demonic deity was a very important deity to the ancient power practitioners. They said that whatever knowledge they have acquired, Baphomet has taught them all.”
Omkari sighed and said, “So many mysteries. Truly, if I hadn’t come here, all this would have remained unknown. It’s very late, I’m feeling very tired, I’ll leave for today, it seems like I’ll have to come here often now.”
After finishing dinner that day, Omkari and Ali returned to their residence. After coming here, Ali went to his room to rest, and Omkari came to his room. But he couldn’t sleep at all. The picture of the red-haired woman hanging on the wall kept attracting him a lot. After lying like this for a long time, he heard a sound in the outer corridor. Ali has told him that there are rats or snakes living in these houses, so many kinds of sounds are heard. This sound may be from some such animal. But no, after listening carefully for a long time, Omkari felt as if someone was whispering, gradually the sound of the voice began to be heard louder. It was like a woman’s voice, this sound was very thin and intense. No one else is supposed to be in this house right now except Ali and him. Then whose voice is this? So is the consciousness of a woman from a particular time in the past trying to connect with him again! Omkari couldn’t lie down anymore, he knows very well what he has to do at this moment! Omkari got up from the bed and opened the door of the room and came out into the corridor. The corridor is very dark but a faint ray of light seems to be coming forward. There is a dense forest around, besides, light does not want to enter inside this house even during the day, so where is this light coming from at night? The woman’s voice is also coming from the direction from which the light is coming. Omkari started running quickly. Running through the corridor, he reached the door at the end of the corridor again, the door on which the picture of that red-haired woman is hanging. Omkari felt that the sound was coming from inside the door, and the door was slightly open, light was coming through the gap in the door. Omkari has always been very brave, she has never been afraid of anything in her life, there is no word called fear in her dictionary. She could have called Ali, but no, this is her own job, God has chosen her for this special job. That’s why He is always with her. As soon as Omkari pushed the door lightly, the door opened, and she entered inside. She turned on the flash light of her mobile and saw that a stone staircase in front went down, a light was coming from below. It seems as if someone has kept a hurricane burning. As Omkari went down the stairs, she saw a place where someone had indeed kept a hurricane. Everything seemed mysterious and unusual. It is very clear that there is something supernatural. She picked up the hurricane and started walking through the long tunnel. There are many alleys in this path. Walking through the dark alleys, she came to a place which is a hall. There are some strange mysterious paintings on the walls of this room. Looking at these pictures, it seems very old. Isha’s crucifixion, then his ascension to heaven with the angels. Among many such pictures, she saw a picture of Isha with a long red-haired woman. There is also a girl with the woman, the girl’s hair and face are all like Isha. Even after understanding the meaning of these pictures, perhaps her head was refusing to take this information, because she was feeling very dizzy. She saw a square box made of stone placed on the floor in front. There is a very strong smell in this room, like the smell of medicine made with herbal substances. Omkari put the hurricane in one corner of the room and put the mobile back in her chest pocket. The mobile flash light is falling nicely in front. As Omkari opened the lid of the stone box, the room went dark, it seemed that the light of the hurricane went out.
A very intense smell is coming out of the box. She saw that there was a red cloth in the box, and something was wrapped with white linen cloth on this red cloth. It is written on the white cloth, Iviiim, as soon as Omkari opened the white cloth, she found a skull split into two parts and some pieces of bone in it. Omkari’s whole body felt strange. She is not usually afraid, but she was really scared to see all this in such an environment. Omkari quickly closed the lid of the box and started searching for a way out. But she has lost her way out of here. Who turned off the light of the hurricane? She used the flash light of her mobile to see well around that there is no hurricane kept anywhere. So is everything a figment of the mind! Maybe, nothing unusual, this has happened many times before, she is seeing a tunnel; she continued through it, after walking to one end, she saw a narrow stone staircase. As Omkari climbed up the stairs, she saw a wooden door. The door is very old. It is slightly ajar, through which the morning light is entering inside. As Omkari opened the door and came out, she saw that the outside of the door is made of metal, in front is a small pond, in which ducks are playing. Omkari understood very well that when she reached Rennes-le-Château yesterday, she had reached here while walking. Where she first felt that red-haired woman. Omkari does not know who is lying in this place? How did she reach here from the house where they were given to stay? Is everything supernatural or is there an invisible controller behind all this. She didn’t run anymore, slowly taking in the morning air with all her heart, she moved towards her temporary residence. (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, Part-14, Part-15, Part-16, Part-17, Part-18, Part-19,
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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.
