New Delhi: Sparking off a debate, a controversial book penned by the brother of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar named Ganesh Savarkar, has claimed that Jesus Christ was a Tamil Hindu.
The book, Christ Parichay, will be re-launched on February 26 to mark the death anniversary of the Hindutva icon, president of the Swatantryaveer Savarkar National Memorial Ranjit Savarkar said. The book was first published in the year 1946.
According to the text of book, Jesus was a "Vishwakarma Brahmin" by birth and Christianity was a sect of Hinduism. It also goes on to claim that Jesus had died in Kashmir.
The Marathi book is being brought out by Savarkar National Memorial, a trust that preserves and propagates the Savarkar brothers' literature and ideology.
The book claims that the present day Palestinian and Arab territories were Hindu land and that Christ travelled to India where he learnt yoga.
The book says Christ's real name was Keshao Krishna, Tamil was his mother tongue, and his complexion was dark.
Asked about the claims in the book, senior priest and director of the Bombay Archdiocesan Heritage Museum, Father Warner D'Souza, said such books will not shake the faith of Christians.
