An unknown shrine of two saints became the centre of a conspiracy theory that Jesus survived crucifixion and came to India and was buried in Srinagar.
this theory was first mentioned in 1899 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who wrote about it extensively in his book, Masih Hindustan-mein (Jesus in India).
The myth was compounded by writings of Dan brown and Ashwin Sanghi and locals looking to make a quick buck from tourists.
This shrine is however, mentioned in Tarikh e Kashmir also known as the Tarikh Azami (History by Azam) by Khwaja Muhammad Azam Didamari, a local Srinagar Sufi who wrote that the tomb is of a foreign prophet and prince, Yuzasuf, or in modern local Kashimiri transcription Youza Asouph.
Locals believe a sage is buried here, alongside another Muslim holy man, Mir Sayyid Naseeruddin. The latter being a Shia saint used to attract Irani pilgrims.
In folklore, the name Yuzasuf is associated with the legend of Balauhar and Yuzasaf, in which Yuzasaf is a name for Gautama Buddha and it is possible it was a Buddhist holy site.
To prevent Western tourists coming because of the wrong attribution a quote from the Quran is displayed prominently which cites the mention of Jesus’ ascent to heaven in the Quran and Bible.
For security reasons it is now kept locked. So I could only peep in from the window and see a large grave.
