HISTORIC ARMENIAN CEMETERY BURIED UNDER WASTE

AZG Armenian Daily
06/05/2009

History

Courtesy-expressbuzz.com

On e of the gravestones at the Armenian cemetary in Uppuguda.

It is perhaps the last known trace of the Armenian connection
with the city of Hyderabad.And now it is almost on the verge of
being erased erased from the city’s historic map.Yes, the Armenian
cemetery located at Uppuguda (known as Opiguda in the colonial times)
is reduced to a mere dumping zone and a place where people relieve
themselves.Armenians came into India as traders through the overland
route much before the advent of European traders into India, in fact
seven centuries before Vasco-da-Gama reached India.A historian Mesrovb
Jacob Seth in his seminal work Armenians in India has noted that 19
Armenians including two priests Rev Johannes (1680) and Rev Simon
(1724), were buried in this now deserted cemetery.And the cemetery is
not confined to Armenians alone."With no English graves of 17th and
18th century seems to have existed, even the Dutch used the Armenian
cemetery till they acquired their own cemetery in the year 1678," B
Subrahmanyam, a retired deputy director of AP Archaeology Department
told Expresso.Referring to a study done by Dr V Nersessian, he pointed
out that there was considerable Armenian population in Hyderabad and
the community was sent a Pontifical Bull from Holy Etchmiadzin, the
spiritual centre of Armenian Chursbiantuow in Soviet Armenia.Realising
the importance of the Armenian cemeteries and churchyards, which
are the only attested sources of their presence, the D epartment of
Archaeology has declared the Uppuguda site as a protected monument
under the Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960. But due to sheer
negligence, this historical churchyard is reduced to a dumpyard full
of liquor bottles and human excreta.When the sorry-state of affairs
was reported to the Director of Archaeology and Museums Department P
Chenna Reddy, he said that they have included this cemetery in the
colonial heritage monuments preservation project in Hyderabad."The
cemetery has been neglected for more than seven years. Before the
Central Government releases funds for this project, the department is
chalking out a plan to clean the site soon," an Archaeology Department
official said.One can only hope that the condition of this cemetery,
where the Armenian-Hyderabad connection is etched, would be improved
as soon as possible.