In one of the ancient Hindu temples in India, which was built 2,000 years ago, archaeologists have discovered a mysterious bas-relief depicting a man on a bicycle. This raises undoubted interest and questions, as the bicycle was invented only in 1885. How could such an image appear on the walls of an ancient temple?
Scientists, studying this strange find, paid attention to the fact that the man depicted on the bicycle is very similar to a monk from the Franciscan order. The Franciscan Order was one of the most influential and powerful orders in the history of the Christian Church. Its followers still exist today and played a huge role in the Middle Ages.
The Franciscan Order was founded by St. Francis, and its followers sought to imitate Christ and the apostles by reproducing their lives. They lived in an ascetic community and gave their lives to serving the poor and needy. The order was divided into several parts, including monks, nuns, and tertiaries, people who could have families and live among the common people.
The question arises, how could such a mismatch of times have occurred? One possible explanation is that the bas-relief was added to the temple much later than its construction. In the 1920s, the temple was restored, and some of the restorers left this mysterious bas-relief on the wall. However, this explanation is questionable.
The ancient temple is a sacred place, and the process of its repair and restoration must have been carefully supervised. How can it be imagined that none of the temple’s attendants or visitors paid attention to such an unusual and inappropriate depiction of history? There seems to be more to this mystery than just the accidental addition of a bas-relief during the restoration process.
Some scholars speculate that this image may have a connection to contacts between ancient civilizations. India was known for its trade routes and cultural exchanges with other countries. Perhaps monks of the Franciscan order traveled to India and were influenced by Indian culture and technology.
However, this remains only a hypothesis for now and further research and analysis is needed to unravel this mystery of the ancient temple and its enigmatic bas-relief.
