Gandhi Before Gandhi

Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai

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GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
curiosity, I recommenced my wanderings and continued them until I arrived at Ladak, whence I decided to return to Russia, through Karakorroum and Chinese Turkestan.
Nicholas Notovitch discovered an ancient manuscript in Buddhist monastery in Tibet & wrote a book "Unknown life of Jesus Christ" Nicholas Notovitch, a curious Russian traveler from Europe was wandering in orient to know the customs and manners of living of various inhabitants of India. He arrived in India in 1887. At Ladak, in the great monastery at Himis, he found some manuscripts relating to the life of Jesus Christ and with the help of
an interpreter he wrote down the Tibetan verses carefully in French. Here is the preface written by Nicholas Notivitch, the original author of "Unknown life of Jesus Christ" written in French PREFACE Subsequent to the Turkish war (1877-1878), I undertook a series of journeys to 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, the most extraordinary country, which had attracted 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, their 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 Afghanistan, from where I reached India by the picturesque passes of Bolan and Guernai. Having ascended the Indus as far as Rawal Pindi, I crossed Punjab, the country of the five rivers, and visited the Golden Temple of Amritsar 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
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 treaties of the life of Jesus Christ and the nations of the Occident, and that certain great 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 visited 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 manuscript in question. Lest I should awaken the suspicion of the authorities on the object of my visit to the convent, 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, but an unfortunate fall, by which I broke my leg, furnished me with an unexpected pretext to return to the monastery, where I received excellent care; and during my short stay with the Lamas, I had the honour of obtaining the consent of their chief to have brought from the library the manuscript relating to Jesus Christ, and aided by my interpreter, who translated for me from the Thibetan language, I wrote down carefully the verses as they were read by the Lama.
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