First off, let’s just get this out of the way: There is no physical evidence that Jesus ever existed. Even believers should readily admit this, and be aware of it, for of a surety some nonbeliever will point it out to you if you are ignorant of the fact or have been (falsely) led to believe otherwise. It must be taken as a matter of faith that the Man lived, period—not to mention that whole OTHER matter where He is concerned. For believers, the exact location of His tomb isn’t so important, since He didn’t stay in it for very long. This article isn’t meant to disparage any of those beliefs—especially since I share them—but it is fascinating to me to read the alternate versions of the story.
According to one of these latter mentioned, Jesus traveled to India after surviving the Crucifixion. (Some legends state that an imposter was crucified in his stead.) There is a grave in India attributed to him, known as the Rozabal in Kashmuri province, that is actually the final resting place of a Middle Ages Muslim imam. A more entertaining story has it that Jesus escaped execution after his younger brother, Isukiri, took his place. How convenient that the latter has a Japanese name, since Jesus supposedly escaped to Japan, where he is buried today, alongside a grave containing his brother’s ear! Oh, and a lock of hair from the boys’ mother. Just in case the site isn’t holy enough, already.
Then again, if that whole Resurrection thing is a sham, why revere the spot as anything approaching “holy” anyway?