Hindoos in Armenia

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Hindoos in Armenia

Written by Dr.Mesrob Jacob Seth

Edited by the webmaster

(Armenians in India, 1982-Published by Armenian Church Committee of Calcutta)

 

The Unknown Chapter in the History of Ancient India and Armenia

 

Part I

 

It may be generally known that Armenians whose love of commerce has been proverbial, have, from time immemorial, traded with India, whither they were allured from their distant homes in the snow-clad mountains of Armenia, by the glamour of the lucrative trade in spices, muslins, and precious stones, which they carried on successfully with Europe by the overland route, through Afghanistan, Persia, and Armenia, via Trebizond (W.Armenia,current Turkey),long before the advent of any European traders, adventurest and interlopers into the country. And it may safely mentioned that even before the Mohammedan invasion of India in the 10th century, the Armenians were found at all principal commercial centres and capitals of India engaged in peaceful pursuit of commmerce.

 

It would be interesting, however, from a historical point of view, to trace in what period of the world's history Armenians first set foot on Indian soil.

 

We search in vain the faded pages of Sanscrit writers and Mohamedan chroniclers of ancient times for any reference to this enterprising, commercial people in India. They were hardly interested in politics, and rarely took part in intrigues, their field of action lay, rather, in the bazaars, the comercial marts, and the emporiums of India, over which they exercised vast influence, in the absence of any foreign commercial element, and thereby monopolised the greater portion of the export trade, which they carried on for a considerable period.

 

The writter ventures to assume, after much careful study and antiquarian research, that they were acquainted with India from remote antiquity, perhaps even when Semiramis, the wife of Ninus, and the warlike queen of the once-powerful Assyrian monarchy, reigned supreme in Babylon.

 

Contemporary as a nation with the Assyrians, it is not improbable that they accompanied Semiramis, as faithful allies, in her invasion of India, which according to the acount given by Ctesias and Siodorus Siculus, was undertaken about the year 2000 B.C., when one Stabrobates (Sthabarpati)held indisputable sway over India of the Vedic times.

 

Armenians, as allies or otherwise, may have accompanied the Greek invasion of India in 327 B.C., under Alexander the Great; for it is a well-known historical fact that he passed through Armenia, en route for India, via.Persia, where he defeated the famous Darius, the Persian king, who resided at Percepolis, the capital of unparaleled architectual fame at that period.

 

But it may be asked, what have the Armenian historians to say on the subject. Unfortunately the annals of ancient Armenia which were carefully preserved in the temples of pre-Christian Armenia and which could have thrown light on the subject were destroyed entirely, by St.Gregory, the apostle of Armenia, known as the Illuminator, in the beginning of the 4th Century of the Christian era when by virtue of a royal edict granted to St.Gregory, by that zealous neophyte, King Tiridates, Armenia embraced the Christian faith en masse, and the Armenians thus became the first Christian nation in the world (301 A.D.)

 

The first authentic record we have of the connection of the Armenians with India is to be found in the work of Zenob, one of the earliest classical writers who flourished in Christian Armenia in the beginning of the 4th century.

 

Zenob, or Zenobias, who was a Syrian and one of the first disciples of St.Gregory the Illuminator-the Apostle of Armenia-wrote, at the instance of his master, a History of Taron (an important province in W.Armenia, current Turkey) and in that work he refers to the history of a Hindoo colony that had existed in Armenia since the middle of the second century before the commencement of the Christian era and going back to the prior beginning of the Hindoo colony on Armenian soil in the days of remote antiquity.

 

It appears from Zenob's account that two Hindoo Princes fo far-famed Kanauj,named Gissaneh and Demeter, had conspired against Dinakspall, the King of Kanauj, and on the discovery of the plot, which spelt death for the two princes, they had no alternative but to seek refuge in flight, and to far-off Armenia they fled, and there they not only found an asylum, but were accorded a welcome befitting their princely dignity by their royal patron, King Valarsaces (a brother of Arsaces the Great) and the founder of the Arsacidae dynasty which ruled in Armenia from 149 B.C. to 428.A.D.

 

This event occured in 149 B.C. The Armenian King, who was evidently pleased with the Hindoo refugees, allotted them the province of Taron where they built themselves a nice city which they called Veeshap, which in Armenian means a Dragon, since they were of the Takshak House, which, as every student of Hindoo Mythology knows, signifies the Dragon. They then went to the Armenian city of Ashtishat, famous for its temples of the national gods and goddesses of heathen Armenia and there they set up the gods which they had worshipped in India.

 

They were not however destined to enjoy a long period of undisturbed peace and freedom in the land of their adoption, for they were, 15 years after their arrival in Armenia, put to death by the king for which no reasons or motives are assigned by the native historian, perhaps they had, as in India, hatched a conspiracy against their royal patron or abused his hospitality, hence the condign punishment meted out them by the Armenian king.

 

After their death, these two Hindoo princes, were deified by their descendants, for they must have gone to Armenia with their families and a large retinue, as future events will prove. According to the Armenian historian, these two princes left three sons whose names were Kuars, Meghtes and Horean, and the Armenian king, bestowed on them the government of the colony and the principality of the province of Taron.

 

Kuars built a small city and called it Kuar after his own name. Meghtes similarly built his city and named it Meghti after himself, whilst Horean built his city in the province of Poloonean and called it Horeans.

 

Being new to the country, they were evidently not satisfied with the first selection of sites their habitations, so after some time they resolved amongst themselves to find fresh fields and pastures anew, so they went to the mountain called Kharkh and finding it an ideal place by reason of its beautiful and favourable situation, they built themselves untill 4th century, A.D. or a period of 450 years. And this is where they built their city and put up two gods named as Gisaneh and Demeter, after their murdered fathers whom they had deified.

 

These gods were made entirely of brass, the former, according to Zenob, was twelve cubits high, and the latter fifteen cubits and the priests that were appointed for the service of these gods were all Hindoos. Under the auspices of a heathen government, in whose eyes they had evidently found great favour, the Hindoo colony flourished for a considerable time in Armenia, but with the dawn of Christianity in idolatrous Armenia in the year of 301 A.D. the tide of royal kindness began to ebb and ebb very swiftly, for the Indian gods shared the fate of the national gods and goddesses, which were destroyed by that relentless iconoclast, St.Gregory the Illuminator, who had the famous temples of Gisaneh and Demeter razed to the ground, the images broken to pieces whilst the Hindoo priests who offered resistance were murdered on the spot, as faithfully chronicled by Zenob who was an eye-witness of the destruction of the Hindoo temples and the gods.

 

On the site of these two temples, St.Gregory had a monastery erected where he deposited the relics of St.Jhon the Baptist and Athanagineh the martyr which he had brought with him from Ceaseria, and that sacred edifice, which was erected in the year 301 A.D., exists to this day and is known as St.Carapet of Moosh and has always been a great place of pilgrimage for Armenians from all parts of the world.

 

The Hindoo priests attached to the temples of Gisaneh and Demeter, seeing the destruction of their national gods and their temples, with tears in their eyes entreated the victorious Armenians, their erstwhile brother idolators, to put them to death rather than destroy their mighty god Gisaneh, and for the resistance that they offered to the victors, six of the Hindoo priests were killed on the spot.

 

On the restoration of peace between the Armenians and the Hindoos, the Armenian prince of the house of Siunies proceeded to the Hindoo village of Kuars and succeeded in persuading the inhabitants of that place to renounce idolatry and embrace the Christian faith which had now became the State religion. His efforts were crowned with success and they were dully prepared for baptism, and being conducted to the valley of Ayzasan they were baptised there by St. Gregory.

 

According to Zenob, who as i have said was a disciple of Apostle of Armenia, and an eye-witness of the events he narrates, the Hindoos that were baptised on the first day of Navasard, (the ancient Armenian New Year day)numbered 5,050 and these were composed of men and children only, as the females were, it appears excluded from that number and baptised on another day specially appointed for the occasion.

 

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Part 2

 

Some of these converted Hindoos adhered tenaciously to the idolatrous practices of their foreafathers, despite the paternal persuasions and the exhortations of St.Gregory. They went even further and taunted the Armenian princes by telling them that if they lived they would retaliate for the harsh treatment they had received at their hands, but if they died, the gods would wreak their vengence on the Armenians on their behalf.

At this the prince of the house of Angegh ordered them to be taken immediately to the city of Phaitakaran where they were incarcerated and their heads shaved as an insult and a sign of degradation. These prisoners numbered four hundred. From the narrative of Zenob, the Syrian, it appears that the Hindoo colony had, since their settlement in Armenia in the year 150 B.C. to the day of the memorable battle in the year 301 A.D. a period of 450 years, multiplied and increased considerably and formed a distinct and an important colony of their own in the fertile province of Taron where in the year 286 A.D. a Chinese colony had also settled under Mamgoon, the founder of the house of Mamikonian which gave a Vardan to Armenia who fought the Sassanians when they wanted to force the religon of Zoroaster on Christian Armenia in the year 451 A.D.

 

The Hindoos, who up to the advent of Christianity in Armenia had remained a distinct community became gradually merged into the native Christian population, as no reference is made to them by any of the Armenian historians who came after Zenob, who, as has been stated before, flourished in the beginning of the 4th century.

 

Having given a brief out-line of the history of the Hindoo colony in Armenia, we shall now give some interesting extracts from the narrative of Zenob. It may be mentioned that Zenob who was a Syrian wrote his work originally in Syriac, but it must have been translated by him afterwards into Armenian.

 

The Armenian text of Zenob's work in classical Armenian from which the following extracts are translated, was printed first at Venice in 1832 by the learned Mekhitharist Fathers, after a very careful collationwith five manuscript copies written at different periods and in different places. The first portion of the narrative gives a description of the Hindoo colony and it is followed by a graphic account of the religious wars that were waged between Hindoos and the early propagators of the Christian faith in idolatrous Armenia in the beginning of the 4th century. And this is how Zenob, the Syrian, describes the Hindoos whom he sees for the first time on his arrival in Armenia, with St.Gregory, the Illuminator, in the year 301 A.D.

 

"This people has a most extraordinary appearance for they were black, long-haired and unpleasant to the sight, as they were Hindoos by race.

 

The origin of the idols which were in this place, is this: Demeter and Gisaneh were brothers and they were both Indian princes. They had conspired against Dinaksi, their King, who being appised, sent troops after them either to put them to death or to banish them from the country. Having narrowly escaped, they fled to (Armenian)King Valarsaces who bestowed on them the principality of the distict of Taron where they built a city and called it Veeshap(snake in Armenian).

 

They afterwards went to the city of Ashtishat and there set up idols in the names of those which they had worshipped in India. After fifteen years the King put both brothers to death, I do not know why, and confered the principality on their three sons, Kuars, Meghtes and Horean. Kuar built the city of Kuars, Meghtes built a village on the plain and called it Meghti, and Horean built a village in the province of Paloonies and called it Horeans.

 

After some time, Kuar, Meghtes and Horean, resolved to go to the mountain called Kharki, and they found the place to be salubrious and beatiful, for it was cool, and abounded in game, grass and wood. There they raised edifices and set up two idols, one in the name of Gisaneh and the other in the name of Demeter and appointed attendants for them from their own race.

 

Gisaneh had long flowing hair and for that reason its priest allowed the hair of their head to grow, which the king ordered to be cut. This people were not, however, perfect in their faith after their convesion into the Christian fate and as they could not profess the religion of their pagan ancestors openly, they therefore practiced the deception of allowing their children to grow plait of hair on the cronw of their heads, so they they may, by seeing that, remember their idolatrous abominations."

 

In the course of their journey through Armenia, Zenob gives the following account of the war that was waged between the Hindoos and the Armenians in the year 301 A.D.

 

"And having taken our departure from there (Thordan)we intended to proceed to Karin and Harkh, but some of the Armenian princes informed St.Gregory of the existance of two temples in the province of Taron which still offered sacrifices to the devils, whereupon he resolved to demolish them. Having arrived in the country of the Paloonies, in the extensive village, called Gisaneh, near the village town of Kuars, we met there some of the heathen priests.

 

Having ascertained from the Hindoo prince of Hashtens that the great images of Gisaneh and Demeter were to be levelled to the ground on the following day, they (Hindoos) repaired to the temples in the dead of the night and removed the treasures and filled them into sub-terraneous houses.

 

They then sent intimationt to the heathen priests at Ashtishat urging them to collect warriors and join them early on the morrow as the great Gisaneh was going to give battle to the apostate princes (Armenians). In like manner they put up the inhanbitants of Kuars to lie in ambush in the hedges of the gardens and some were sent waylay Christians in the forests. The head priest whose name was Artzan (Arjun)and his son Demeter took the command of the troops who were stationed at Kuars, and numbered 400, and having ascended th ehhill that was opposite Kuars, they halted there, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements from other places to their aid.

 

On the following day, they descended to the skirts of the mountains to indulge in their usual habit of pillage. St. Gregory accompanied by the prince of Artzroonies, the prince of Andzevatzies and the prince of the house of Angegh and with a small number of troops numbering about three hundred, ascended the mountain in the third hour of the day, where Artzan lay in ambush.

 

They were going carelessly as they never suspected anything and as they approached the acclivity of the mountain, Artzan and Demeter rushed out of their ambuscade when the trumpets of war were sounded and they were attacked most furiously. The princes having heard this, became restless and alarmed, for their horses took fright from the sound of the trumpets and began to neigh and thus excite war, whereupon the prince of the house of Angegh raised his voiced and cried, "Prince of Sunnies, step forward and see perhaps these are the troops of the prince of the north."

 

He went, but could not ascertain who they were. On his return, the prince of Sunnies said "remove St.Gregory and his companions to a safe place lest they may be captured by the enemy and we will be disgraced before the King." "Send a trustry person," he added, "to recall our troops, for it is going to be a great war and many are the flags which are seen waving."

 

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Part 3

 

The prince of the house of Angegh, then entrusted St.Gregory, into the hands of the prince of Mocks enjoining him to take him immediately to the Castle of Oghkan and await developments, and forthwith sent intimation to the troops. The prince of the Mocks, accompanied by St.Gregory descended the declivity of the hill wishing to go to Kuars, but the people of the place began to block the way.

 

Seeing that there was a great danger in the place, St.Gregory hid the relics which he had with him near a spring on the other side of the hill, opposite to village, marking the spot and God covered the relics and nobody could see them till the return of St.Gregory to that spot afterwards. We were, however, pursued by the men of the village, but being mounted on our horses, we took refuge in the Castle of Oghkan where we reached before them as the men of the place came forward and took us in.

 

The villagers (Hindoos)then went to Kuars and informed the people there about us. Hearing this they came and began to besiege the castle. Being seized with apprehensions we immediately despatched a messenger with a letter to the prince of the house of Angegh informing him of the state of affairs. He immediately sent four thousand picked men furnished with swords who crossed the river and arrived on the following day. They laid siege to the city of Kuars for three days and having demolished the ramparts, they reduced the place to ruins and the inhabitants were conducted to Meghtes.

 

The Armenian princes being informed of this, ascended the hill and saw Artzan lying in ambush with about four hundred men. The brave princes made an attack immediately and were putting him to fight when the Armenian troops, hearing the din of the battle, crowded immediately to the mountain whereupon Artzan rallied and began to hurl abuses on the Armenian princes.

 

"Come forward," he said, "O you base apostates who have denied the gods of your ansestors and are the enemies of the glorious Gisaneh. Do you not know that it is Gisaneh who is waging war against you to-day and will betray you into our hands and strike you with blindness and death." At this the prince of the Ardzrunies rushed forward and said "Oh you braggart, if you are fighting for your gods, you are false, and if it is your for your country, you are altogether foolish for behold the prince of the house of Angegh and the prince of the house of Sunnies and the other nobles whom you know but to well."

 

To which, Demeter, the son of Artzan replied thus. "Listen unto us O you Armenian princes, it is now forty years since we are engaged in the service of the mighty gods and we are aware of their powers, for they fight themselves with the enemies of their servants. We are not, however, able to oppose you in battle for this is the house of the king of Armenia and you are his nobles, but let it be known to you all that although we cannot possibly conquer you, yet it is better for us to die a glorious death to-day in upholding the honour of our gods rather than live and see their temples polluted by you. Death is, therefore, more welcome to us than life. But you, who are the prince of the house of Angegh come forward and let us fight singly."

 

The prince of the house of Angegh and Artzan having come forward, they commenced going round each other, when Artzan with his spear inflicted hurriedly a wound on his opponent's tigh and well-nigh brought him to the ground. But the prince of the house of Angegh having regained his position, turned towards the antagonist and addressed him thus. "Know you this O Artzan that this place will be called Artzan (the Armenian word for statue) for you are destined to be fixed here with the left shoulder and leg from body by stroke of the sword on the right shoulder. Artzan fell to the ground rolling and they collected a heap over him and he lies buried in the same place and the mount is to this day called Artzan.

 

Immediately after the action the troops fo the priests arrived from the city of Veeshap (the Armenian word for dragon) together with the people of Partukh and Meghti and they all crowded for the battle. Others came from Astaghon also four hundred and fifty. When they arrived at the summit of the mountain, there was a commotion on both sides and the heathen priests made an attack, en masse, on the Armenian troops and putting them to flight made them descend the mountain and fly towrads the villages. The villagers who were laying in ambush, opposed our troops and hemming them on both sides began to put them to the sword.

 

But the prince of the house of Angegh, having cut through the ranks of the heathen (Hindoo)priests, directed his course towards the mountain, from the back, where some men were kept in reserve on the top who caused great havoc by flinging stones at horses. But when Demeter observed the prince of the house of Angegh ascending the hill, he left the troops behind and followed him, so did the other troops who were mounted on horses.

 

When they went up the hill, the battle was resumed. Our princes were waiting for further re-enforcements since all the troops had not assembled there yet, as four thousand were left in charge of the prisoners at Meghti and three thousand proceeded to Bassean and Harkh. The rest were still in the field pillaging and marauding. And when they were about to commence the battle and exchange decisive blows, night approached and they encamped in the place until the following morning. At a dawn, the remaining Armenian troops arrived there and a re-inforcement of about five hundred men from the city of Tirakatar came to the assistance of the heathen priests. The heathen numbered six thousand nine hundred and forty six whilst the troops of the Armenian princes were in all five thousand and eighty.

 

The trumpets were sounded and both sides arranged themselves in battle. At the commencement the Armenians proved victorious over the heathens, but the prince of Hashtens who was now in command of the Armenain troops although of the same (Hindoo)race as Demeter, deserted and joined the heathen priests with seven hundred men and commenced fighting the Armenian princes. When the Armenian troops saw him, they were dismayed and fell to the ground for he was a brave man of extraordinary prowess, of indomitable courage and of vast experience in warfare and military operations which made all the Armenian princes tremble before him.

 

He commenced the onslaught relentlessly and all the troops cried out and appealed to the prince of Siunies for help whereupon he called out to him (the prince of Hashtens) saying, "you whelp of a worlf! You have remembered teh nature of your father and delight in feasting on carrion." The rebel chief retorded by saying tuntingly "You offspring of an eagle, you who boast on the prowers of your wings, but if you ever fall into my trap, I shall then show you my strength."

 

The prince of Siunies could not brook this taunt and rushing on him furiously, struck him on the helmet with his axe and having dislodged him from his troops by driving him to some distance, pursued him to the mountain eastwards. Having chased him to the place known as the Innaknian (nine springs) he threw him down by a violent shove from his horse and having alighted, he severed his head from the body and dropped it down the mountain saying, "now let the vultures see you and know that the eagle has killed the hare." The prince of Siunies returned to the army immediately after this and the place where the rebel prince Hashtens fell, is to this day called the "Eagles."

 

The prince of the Ardzroonies then attacked the head priest of Ashtishat whose name was Metakes whom he pursued to the summit of the mountain which commanded a view of the battle. When he reached there, Metakes made a violent resistance and struck hin on thigh. The Armenian prince, burning with rage, struck him immediately with his scimitar on the neck which he severed from the body. He then threw down the headless body and the place where the deed was committed was called Metsakkogh.

 

The prince of Arjootz (Hindoo)seeing this, took refuge in flight and concealed himself in the same place which the prince of Ardzoonies pretended not to have observed. He then approached the fugitive and attacked him suddenly but he fled into the forest where a sharp piece of wood from the branch of a tree passed through his heart and live and he died on the spot. The victor (Armenian prince)returned with the two horses and the place was called the vale of 'Arjootz'.

 

After his return, he found that Demeter and the prince of the house of Angegh were wrestling with each other. Having made a rush he cut off the right shoulder of the former and threw him down. He then severed the head and throwing it into his knapsack, went away. The Armenians having attacked the heathen army furiously, put one thousand and thirty eight of them to the sword and the rest were stripped of all they possessed. In this battle Demeter killed the son of the prince of Mocks which caused great sorrow amongst the Armenian princes.

 

When Demeter fell in the battle, the prince of the Siunies sounded the trumpet of peace and both sides stopped slaughtering each other. The surviving heathen priests seeing this, solicited the Armenian princess to give them permission to bury their dead which was readily granted. The killed on both sides were then collected and buried in pits dug for the purpose. Monuments were then raised over their graves bearing the following inscription, in Syrian, Hellenic and Ismaelitish characters.

 

THE FIRST BATTLE WHICH WAS FOUGHT VERY FIERCELY. ARTZAN (ARJUN) THE HEAD PRIEST, THE CHIEF COMMANDER OF THE BATTLE LIES INTERRED HERE, AND WITH HIM ONE THOUSAND AND THIRTY-EIGHT MEN.

 

WE WAGED THIS WAR ON ACCOUNT OF THE IDOL GISANEH AND ON BEHALF OF CHRIST.

 

Note: Some of the important Hindoo names, as mentioned by Zenob in the course of his narrative, may be identified as follows:- Gisaneh may have been the corrupt form of Krishna, and Demeter the Hellenised form of Juggernath or Gonesh, which according to Hindoo mythology, ar the lords of earth and creation. Similarly, Kuars may be identified with Koilash, Meghtes with Mukti, Horean with Horendra and Artzan with Arjun, all of which are genuine Hindoo names of Ancient India.