Hinduism in Armenia remains a minor feature in Armenian religious life, generally represented through The International Society for Krishna Consciousness and a minority of Indian students, with backgrounds in Hinduism.
History
editThere was a colony of Indians on the upper Euphrates in Armenia as early as 2nd century BC.[1][2]
Per the writings of Zenobius Glak, two Indian princes and their families fled to Armenia from Ujjain in 149 BC. They were granted a grand welcome and given land there. They built a temple for Hindu gods and goddesses in Ashtishat. Eventually, their society grew to 20 villages and was called Hindkastan, the Armenian name for India. At one time, there were over 15,000 Hindus living in Armenia.[3] The Hindu villages flourished until the dawn of Christianity in Armenia in 301 A.D.[4]
Religious organisations
editThe International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and Transcendental Meditation organisations are both active in Armenia.[5] In 1990 ISKCON was, for the first time, officially registered as a religion in Armenia. There are now about 250 ISKCON members resident in Armenia and ISKCON maintains congregations in the towns of Gyumri, Vanadzor, Yeghegnadzor, Kapan and Ashtarak.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Priyatosh Banerjee (1992). New Light on Central Asian Art and Iconography. Abha Prakashan. p. 82. ISBN 9788185704210.
- ^ Kennedy, J (April 1904). "The Indians in Armenia. 130 B.C.-300 A.D." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 36 (2). Cambridge University Press: 309–314. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00031749. JSTOR 25208635. S2CID 162742520. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ Mkrtchyan, Naira (July 2005). "Indian Settlement in Armenia and Armenian Settlements in India and South Asia". Indian Historical Review. 32 (2): 64–87. doi:10.1177/037698360503200204. ISSN 0376-9836.
- ^ Memoir of a Hindu Colony in Ancient Armenia, by Johannes Avdall, Esq., M. A. S., Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume V, Issue 54, 1836, II.
- ^ Government Report (PDF) Archived 2007-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit- Indian imprint on Armenia[usurped] (hinduonnet.com)
- Persecution of Hare Krishna Members in Armenia (iskcon.com)
- "Hindoos in Armenia" by Dr. Mesrob Jacob Seth
- Indian Students in Armenia (armeniandiaspora.com)
- "When KGB closed in on Lord Krishna" (telegraphindia.com)
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