This site highlights an ongoing project concerning the Armenian diaspora communities worldwide. It represents only a small percentage of the material that have been catalogued. For each country/region, there is a brief history, a map selected randomly, and 10 entries also selected randomly.
Quick background:
The first wave of Armenian migration to India took place in the 16th century. The Armenian migrants were primarily merchants who were part of an international trade network with the city of Joulfa, Armenia, as its hub. They were predominantly male and used to relocate to India for a temporary stay. Small communities were formed in Agra, the Mughal capital, the port city of Surat, and elsewhere.
The second wave of Armenian migration to India started in the 17th century as part of the dynamic eastward expansion of Armenian merchants based in New Joulfa, Isfahan, Persia. The second wave was more extensive than the previous one: larger number of people moved, they usually moved with their families, and they moved for a long or a permanent stay in India. Thanks to their ingenuity, intercultural and negotiation skills, and knowledge of Persian which was at the time the prestige language spoken at the Mughal court, Armenians quickly obtained advantageous positions in India’s commerce with Western Asia as well as with the Far East.
The Armenian-Indian communities (in Armenian: Hendkahay) continued to flourish after the arrival of the English East India Company. However, as intermediaries between the Europeans and the local rulers they became redundant when the Indian subcontinent was entirely colonized (the British Raj, 1858). Armenian merchants gradually lost their advantageous positions in different markets and were absorbed in the British trade network. In parallel, the community members diversified their professional career paths. Many entered into fields such as construction, legal services and hospitality. They remained vibrant, dynamic and affluent communities until the mid-20th century.
Map:
Map of Calcutta/Kolkata dated 1924 with the city center in orange. The map was modified to highlight the approximate location of the city's two Armenian neighborhoods and some of the community institutions at the beginning of the 20th century.
1.
S.S. Catherine Apcar, circa 1893, artist unknown, oil on canvas. The painting depicts one of the vessels owned and operated by Apcar (anglicized of Abgarian) Brothers in the 19th century. Apcar Line operated a fleet of vessels from Calcutta/Kolkata that carried people and cargo, largely to and from Singapore, Hong Kong and Amoy (China), with connections to Japan. Other than Catherine Apcar (named after the wife of the company's founder), the other vessels were called Ararat, Lightning, Thunder and Armenia. Apcar Line dominated the Asian opium trade until the 1870s. Apcar Line assets, including S.S. Catherine Apcar, were sold to British-India Steam Navigation Company in 1912.
The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Hoogly-Chinsura, date and artist unknown, watercolor. This is the oldest standing Armenian Apostolic church in India. It was erected in 1695 in the little port city of Chinsura/Chuchura, 40 km north of Calcutta/Kolkata, on the banks of river Hooghly-Ganges. Older Armenian churches in India, mostly wooden structures, disappeared over time. Armenian traders settled with the Dutch in Chinsura two decades after the Dutch had founded the colony. The Armenian community of Chinsura was, for a while, the biggest and the strongest Armenian community in the Indian subcontinent.
The external arcades of St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Madras/Chennai. The church was built in 1712 and rebuilt in 1772. It played a fundamental cultural role in the 18th and the 19th centuries. It had a print house where the first Armenian journal Azdarar (meaning the monitor in Armenian) was published. Modeled after local British magazines, Azdarar was published in 1794 by Arathoon Shumavon (Haroutiun Shmavonian) (1750-1824), the priest of the church. Primarily published for the local community, the journal devoted several pages to commercial information such as the timetables of shipping traffic. It also contained articles dealing with historical, cultural and political topics. These articles turned the journal into an influential medium in other Armenian communities in India and beyond. The monthly paved the way for more than 10 other Armenian journals in India that were published in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
4.
Mr. Mackertich J. Mines, Governor of Meloun, 1855, Colesworthy Grant, British Library. Mekertich Minasian (circa 1809-circa 1862) held several public positions including that of kalawun, a sort of minister/official representative for foreigners when they visited Burma/Myanmar. He married a certain Margaret Johannes (anglicized of Hovhannesian), a rice merchant’s daughter, and became the founder of a major branch of Rangoon-based Armenians who are called Minas, Mines or Minus. Burma was a challenging place for the Armenians who typically spoke Persian and had a good knowledge of Islam. Unlike the rest of the Indian subcontinent that was ruled by Persian and Urdu-speaking Muslim lords, Burma had a predominantly Buddhist population, had a different language and was ruled by Buddhist kings. Many Armenians were nevertheless successful in trade and some, like Mackertich Mines/Minasian, even had successful careers in public services.
5.
The Armenian Ghat, circa 1880s, Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd Photography. “Armani Ghat,” the Armenian pier (river port), stands on the Hooghly-Ganges River bank, besides Calcutta’s flower market. It was the central component of trade logistics of Calcutta-based Armenian merchants who had their shops on the nearby Armenian Street. The elegant wrought iron structure was built in 1734 by Manvel Hazar Maliyan, locally known as Hazur Mull, a celebrated trader and philanthropist. He wanted to tackle the docking of merchant ships and allow the Armenian merchants to rely on their own facilities. Today, the Armenian Ghat has lost much of its elegance and serves passenger boats.
6.
Marcar David (anglicized of Margar Davtian) (1833–1893) was known as “the Merchant-Prince of Bengal” thanks to the enormous wealth that he had accumulated in jute trade. David was the first merchant who exported jute directly from the port of Chittagong near Dacca/Dhaka, circumventing the port of Calcutta/Kolkata. He was not, however, the only Armenian in jute business. Armenians of East Bengal (now Bangladesh) were particularly active in jute processing and export. According to a certain John Taylor who visited the area in the mid-18th century, Armenians were the largest exporters of cloth from Decca/Dhaka. They eventually lost their position to the powerful English East India Company in the following century.
Untitled (reproduction of Apsara, Ajanta, Cave number 17, circa 5th/6th centuries), 1937–1939, Sarguis/Sarkis Khachatourian, distemper on cloth, Ananda Coomaraswamy collection. Born in the Ottoman Empire, S. Khachatourian (1886-1947) lived and worked in several countries and painted in different styles. He worked in India 1937-1941 and made precious copies of temple frescos. In 1941, he settled in New York City.
8.
Nizam Palace used to be called Galstaun Park. Johannes Carapiet Galstaun (Hovhannes Karapet Galestian) (1859-1947) designed and built the house for his wife Rose Catherine in the early 20th century. In 1933, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the ruler of Hyderabad, acquired it as his residence in Calcutta/Kolkata. The turn of the 20th century was the zenith of Calcutta; the colonial capital until 1911. Several Armenian architect-contractors such as Galstaun/Galestian contributed much to the architectural map of Calcutta/Kolkata by building monumental buildings that marked the cityscape.
9.
The Hyrapiets (transformed form of Hairapetian), a descendant family. Except a small community that survives in Calcutta/Kolkata, Armenian communities ceased to exist in the Indian subcontinent in the second half of the 20th century. Many migrated to the U.K, the U.S., Australia and Canada. Some, however, stayed in India. The descendants were formed through mixed marriages between those who stayed and the local people. They usually carry Armenian names, practice certain rituals, and maintain vague and irregular contacts with Armenian institutions such as the church.
10.
Goa Brewing Company named its high-quality craft beer Eight Finger Eddie in tribute to Edward Mazamanian. E. Mazamanian (1924-2010), commonly known as Eight Finger Eddie (he was born with only three fingers on his right hand), is credited with popularizing Goa. He settled in the dusty remote city in 1964 and turned it into a popular destination for the hippies. Even after Goa gentrified and became a top tourist destination, Mazamanian and his hippie friends continue to be remembered by the locals.
