Indian Imprint On Armenia

[Eurocentric]

Indian imprint on Armenia

 

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROMESH BHATTACHARJI

 

The remote village of Odzun reveals an Indian connection.

 

THE road from Yerevan, Armenia, to Tiblisi, Georgia, goes through impressive terrain. The twin summits of Armenia's Bible Mountain, Mt. Great Ararat and Mt. Little Ararat (5,165 metres and 3,925 m respectively), loom mesmerisingly to the south. From the shoulder of Mt. Aragats (4,090 m) after Pushkin Pass, the steep walls of the hills gradually move closer to the road. The space at the base of the narrow and deep Debed Gorge is shared between a railway line and a road that are marvels of scientific daring. Throughout this route are strewn many relics of the Soviet past. Huge factories that once employed thousands in these remote mountains are smokeless and silent. Now there are only some signs of optimism checking the otherwise all-pervasive decrepitude evident in the rows of attendant apartment blocks that surround the many industries along the way.

 

High above Debed Gorge, is a surprising plateau. The zig-zag road from the lowest point in Armenia (380 m above sea level) suddenly becomes straight, lined with fields, and bordered with huge trees. Shepherds with their flock hold up traffic and smile at the impatience of car drivers. This is the lovely village of Odzun, once known an Awjun.

 

A 7th century Armenian church is perched on a shoulder dramatically overlooking the deep Debed Gorge. The Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates mass differently from the way churches do in the West. There is no written order of service. There are no chairs. There is a spacious domed hall in which people stand. There is usually at least one high-vaulted porch for entrance. The focus is the altar, which, except in the more important churches, is very simply dressed. The service continues for hours and worshippers enter and leave at will. This kind of freedom is much like the informality of worship in eastern temples. The Odzun church was from A.D. 717 to A.D. 728, the seat of the Armenian Pope Hovhan Odzntsi, better known as Catholicos Yovhan Awjnec. This church was built before his time. He, however, shifted to Echmiadzin near Yerevan and since then that has been the seat of all Armenian Popes.

 

Full article:http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/stories/20060811000106600.htm