Hinduism in Armenia
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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
According to Zenob Glak, one of the first disciples of Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia, a Hindu colony was established in Armenia sometime around 149 B.C. Zenob wrote that the colony was established by two Indian princes who had taken refuge in Armenia.[1] They worshipped images of brass, twelve cubits high. Under the pagan rulers, the Hindu colony flourished until the dawn of Christianity in Armenia in 301 A.D.[2]
The ruins of the Saint Karapet Monastery, now in Turkey, stands at the site of the Hindu temples.[citation needed]
Religious organisations
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and Transcendental Meditation organisations are both active in Armenia.[3] 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, Kirovakan, Yeghegnadzor, Kapan and Ashtarak.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ India-Eurasia, the way ahead: with special focus on Caucasus, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Centre for Caucasian Study Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, 2008 p. 205
- ↑ 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)
External links
- Indian imprint on Armenia (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)
