The lost years of Jesus concerns the little-known time between Jesus' childhood and the beginning of his ministry as recorded in the New Testament. With the exception of the description of the events surrounding his birth, the Bible says very little about the first thirty years of the life of Jesus. When he was eight days old, Jesus was Circumcised according to Jewish law (Luke 2:21). Thirty-three days later, he was presented in the Temple (Luke 2:22-39).
There is an account of the visit of the Magi who came to worship the holy child (Matthew 2:1-12), and the subsequent flight into Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod (Matthew 2:13-23). There is a general reference to the settlement of Joseph and Mary, along with the young Jesus, at Nazareth (Matthew 2:23; Lk. 2:39-40). There also is that isolated account of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus' visit to the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, when Jesus was twelve years old (Luke 2:41-50).
Following that episode, however, there is a blank space in the record that covers eighteen years in the life of Christ. Other than the generic allusion that Jesus advanced in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52),
"The Lost Years of Jesus: Documentary Evidence of Jesus' 17-Year Journey to the East", Elizabeth prophet asserts that Buddhist manuscripts provide evidence that Jesus traveled to India, Nepal, Ladakh and Tibet.There are also Hindu and Tibetan accounts of Jesus' presence in their part of the world that are hard to validate.One question regarding this issues is: what could possibly be gained from making this up? It should be remembered that all these accounts exist in areas traditionally inhabited by peoples with little familiarity with orthodox Christianity.
According to Kersten, the Bhavishyat Maha Purana - the 9th of 18 ancient narratives of the Hindus known as the Puranas - asserts that Israelites settled in India, and in verses 17-32, describes the arrival of Jesus thus:
"One day, Shalivahana, the chief of the Shakas, came to a snowy mountain (assumed to be in the Indian Himalayas). There, in the Land of the Hun (= Ladakh, a part of the Kushan empire), the powerful king saw a handsome man sitting on a mountain, who seemed to promise auspiciousness. His skin was like copper and he wore white garments. The king asked the holy man who he was. The other replied: 'I am called Isaputra (son of God), born of a virgin, minister of the non-believers, relentlessly in search of the truth.'
O king, lend your ear to the religion that I brought unto the non-believers ... Through justice, truth, meditation, and unity of spirit, man will find his way to Isa (God, in Sanskrit) who dwells in the centre of Light, who remains as constant as the sun, and who dissolves all transient things forever. The blissful image of Isa, the giver of happiness, was revealed in the heart; and I was called Isa-Masih (Jesus the Messiah).'
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