BY ARUNANSH B. GOSWAMI
The city of Gwalior is located in the heart of India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and has strong cultural and defense ties with Armenia. While the former is because of the world-famous Armenian artist, the late Sarkis Kachadourian, the latter is due to army commander Hakob Petrosyan, who served three former Maharajas of Gwalior—Daulatrao, Jankojirao, and Jayajirao—and commanded the First Brigade of Scindia. Recently, the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to India, Dr. Vahagn Afyan, was on an official tour of Gwalior along with councillors of the embassy, on the invitation of the Scindia Research Centre, which I had the opportunity to head.
The Ambassadors and councillors, as well as their families, were the esteemed guests of Brigadier S. Mukherjee, commander of the 115 Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army, who has renovated the historic Alijah Club at the Morar Cantonment in Gwalior and has been awarded, by the Indian Building Congress, for undertaking the project. Brigadier Mukherjee has also deeply studied about the Armenian heritage in Gwalior and installed the portrait of commander Petrosyan in the Officer’s Mess of 115 Infantry Brigade at the Alijah Club.
The installation of Petrosyan’s portrait in Gwalior was something Indo-Armenians looked forward to, and it has finally been completed. The original of this portrait, a beautiful oil painting of the distinguished military commander in military costume, was in the possession of John Michael Reghelini of Agra, a great-grandson of Petrosyan. This painting was, at the request of Mesrovb Jacob Seth, exhibited by Reghelini at the Historical Exhibition, held at Gwalior in December 1929, in connection with the Gwalior Session of the “Indian Historical Records Commission.” Now, thanks in part to my own efforts and that of Brigadier Mukherjee, a portrait of Petrosyan has found a place in the Morar cantonment of the Indian army, recognizing the military history of Gwalior and fulfilling the wishes of Indo-Armenians.
Brigadier Mukherjee, the Ambassador, and I gave lectures at the Alijah Club on historical relations between India and Armenia and why we should strengthen our already friendly relations. The Armenian delegation also had detailed discussions with officers of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force on the burgeoning defense ties between India and Armenia. The Armenian delegation also saw a covered tunnel that possibly connected Army Officers’ Mess Alijah Club to the Air Force Residency Officers Mess.
There were 30 Armenian families in Gwalior, all of whom were in the military service of the Maharaja of Gwalior. Major Johanness left a fortune of Rs. 500,0000; another, Woskan, returned to his native town of Erivan in Armenia, and enjoyed a life of luxury and ease there. After the battles of Maharajpore and Punniar in 1843, which resulted in the disbandment of the huge army of the Scindia, most of the Armenians left Gwalior and gave up their military posts.
Petrosyan’s palatial house at Naumahalla in Gwalior, where the Armenian Church was located, was bought by an erstwhile aristocratic Maratha family of Gwalior. Prior to her death, Helen, Petrosyan’s pious widow, sent all the sacred vessels and vestments of great intrinsic value to the Armenian Church at Calcutta and to the Cathedral at Julfa (Ispahan). These items had belonged to the Gwalior Armenian Church erected by her husband, who maintained an Armenian priest at his expense to attend to the spiritual needs of the Armenian colony at Gwalior for many years.
In order to promote cultural ties between India and Armenia, Armenian diplomats also visited cultural landmarks in Gwalior. They visited the grand Jai Vilas Palace of the Scindia Maharajas of Gwalior, who employed several Armenians. This palace was built during the reign of Maharaja Jayajirao Scindia, who also built the aforementioned Alijah Club. It includes the present residence of the Scindia family, Jija Ashish Palace.
The Jai Vilas Palace was built in 1874 in Italian style by a Neapolitan army officer in the service of Jayajirao Scindia, the late Sir Michael Filose, whose ancestor worked along with Hakob Petrosyan. It is famous for its Durbar Hall, a chamber 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 40 feet high with several tonnes of gold used for decoration. In the palace, the delegation also saw the local handicrafts and textiles from Central India at the Aaranya atelier.
The delegation also visited one of the best boarding schools in India, the Scindia School (at the historic Gwalior Fort, from whose ramparts 95-minute guns, equal in number to the years of the veteran soldier Petrosyan, were fired when he passed away), established in 1897, where talks were held for possible student exchange programs between Kolkata’s 196-year-old Armenian School and the Scindia School. Lunch was organized in honor of the Armenian delegation by the school’s principal, Ajay Singh.
Following a sumptuous Indian lunch at the historic Scindia School, the delegation visited the Man Singh Palace at the Gwalior fort. Raja Man Singh built this magnificent palace and the Gujri Mahal. The latter housed his famous queen, Mrignayani; it was here that famous Armenian artist Sarkis Kachadourian organized his exhibition of mural paintings. He was supported by Maharaja Jiwajirao M. Scindia of Gwalior in his artistic endeavor. Recently, an exhibition of his Ajanta paintings was organized at the UNESCO WHC event in New Delhi.
After visiting several historical sites within the Gwalior Fort, the delegation visited the Armenian cemetery in Gwalior. In order to preserve this cemetery and convert it into an Indo-Armenian friendship park, the Ambassador met the political representative of Gwalior (Member of Legislative Assembly) and Minister of Energy of Madhya Pradesh, Pradhumna Singh Tomar, who has assured the Armenian delegation of the government’s support.
While Armenia is popular for its carpets, so is Gwalior; it also has Geographical Indication Intellectual Property protection for its carpets. There are several similarities between the handicrafts of Gwalior and Armenia, and the visit of the Armenian diplomatic delegation to the city will play an important role in strengthening the cultural connections between this city in central India and far-off Armenia in the South Caucasus, connected by historical ties.
Day by day, the relationship between India and Armenia is getting stronger. People-to-people diplomacy and visits of diplomatic representatives to sites and monuments that represent common history contribute significantly to strengthening relations between countries. I hope that the visit of the Armenian diplomatic delegation to Gwalior will further strengthen the already friendly relations between India and Armenia.
Arunansh B. Goswami is an author, historian and advocate in the Supreme Court of India. He is a member of the Bar Association of Delhi and the Supreme Court Bar Association in India. Goswami has written on the history, culture and politics of various countries in several national and international publications. He is a visiting fellow of the L.A. Orbeli Institute of Physiology NAS RA in Armenia.
