Armenians in Kolkata: Why the city’s centuries-old Christian community celebrates Christmas in January

Though decades have passed, the magic of those moments remains vivid for Zareh. Now older, he treasures the memories intricately woven into his identity as a Calcutta Armenian.

The Armenian merchants of Calcutta

During the Safavid Wars of 1603–1605, Shah Abbas I of Persia (modern-day Iran) forcibly relocated the Armenians from their homeland of Julfa to Persia. This migration was part of his strategy to establish Persia as a major silk trading centre. The displaced Armenians were resettled near Isfahan in a district named New Julfa.

 After settling in Murshidabad, some Armenians moved to Chinsurah, on the outskirts of Calcutta, near the important port of Hooghly, where they began conducting business and building warehouses.

 Meanwhile, Julfan merchant-diplomat Khwaja Sarhad Israeli played a pivotal role in 1698 by negotiating the lease of Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata for the British, facilitating Job Charnock’s establishment of the city of Calcutta. An ancient tombstone in the Armenian Church on Armenian Street indicates that the Armenian community had been present in the area since at least 1630. Israeli further assisted the British by securing the Grand Imperial Farman in 1717, which granted sweeping privileges that allowed the British to outpace the Dutch and French in trade.

Historian Mesrovb J Seth, in his seminal work History of the Armenians in India, observes: “The Hon’ble East India Company was readily anxious to cultivate the friendship of the Armenian merchants, who having a thorough knowledge of the vernacular, were of great help to them in pushing on the Company’s trade in the interior.” Roy and Roy add, “This afforded the Armenians equal rights to the English, the right to settle in East India Company areas, as well as the freedom to practice their religion and build churches if there were more than 40 Armenians in a settlement.”

The Armenians made Calcutta their central hub, operating trade routes between the city, New Julfa, and other parts of the world. Over time, as historian Susmita Bhattacharya notes in The Armenians of Calcutta, “The Armenian presence was a significant and almost customary feature in Bengal trade and politics.”

A unique Christmas 

The Armenian presence in Calcutta necessitated community religious institutions, resulting in the construction of Armenian churches, three of which are situated in present-day Kolkata. These are the Holy Armenian Church of Nazareth, also known as the Armenian Apostolic Church, built in 1724 on Armenian Street; St Gregory’s Chapel, established in 1906, in the Beniapukur neighbourhood of central Calcutta; and the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, constructed in 1867 in Tangra.

The Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth, built in 1724, replaced a wooden chapel that had been erected in 1707 near the Armenian Ghat. Constructed on what was once a burial ground, the church was built by Agah Nazar and subsequently named in his honour. Author Krishna Dutta highlights in Calcutta: A Cultural and Literary History, its construction was funded by voluntary contributions, making it the oldest surviving Christian place of worship in Calcutta.

Visitors entering the church are greeted by bright white walls, Islamic arcades, and rows of wooden chairs lining the space. On Sundays, a choir chants from Armenian prayer books, and after the service, the congregation gathers in a compound where tropical fruit trees grow among ancient tombstones.

One unique feature of the Armenian churches in Calcutta is their celebration of Christmas on January 6, in contrast to the majority of the city’s churches. Armenians observe Christmas on this date because they follow the tradition of celebrating Christ’s birth and baptism on the same day, known as the Feast of the Theophany. An Armenian document, cited by Zareh, says: “There is no definite date of the birth of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels… It is said that the original date fixed by the Eastern Church was the 6th of January, which included the Birth, Baptism, and Epiphany.”

The document noted that the Western Church adopted the celebration in the 4th century but divided it into two distinct observances—Christmas and Epiphany—owing to pilgrimage traditions linked to Bethlehem and the Jordan River.

 As Zareh describes, the Armenian community gathers in the city’s churches on the evening of January 5 and returns the following morning for additional services. Afterward, they convene at the Armenian Sports Club to share food, partake in games, and revel in festive merriment.

Other Armenian footprints

The connection between Calcutta and its once-thriving Armenian community is exemplified by several enduring institutions, including the Armenian College established in 1821. This institution arose after the first regular Armenian community school, founded by Arratoon Kaloos in 1798, failed to meet the community’s needs. The college later merged with the school and became affiliated with Calcutta University in 1871. Armenians from Java, Penang, and Iran, contributed generously to support the institution.

Until 1979, many Armenian students from Iran attended the college, but this ceased after Iran’s 1980 “cultural revolution.” Today, the college continues to educate Armenian students, primarily from Armenia, who receive scholarships covering tuition, living costs, and return airfare. The faculty is also partially drawn from Armenia, and while these efforts bring Armenians to Calcutta– Roy & Roy found that most return home after their studies.

Besides finance, Armenians excelled in several sectors, including construction, hospitality, jewellery, banking, machinery, and automobiles. Armenian entrepreneurs were instrumental in shaping many architectural landmarks of the city, such as the Grand Hotel (now the Oberoi Grand), built by one Arrathoon Stephen, and other iconic establishments like the Astoria, Kenilworth, and Russell hotels.

 Notable Armenians like Huzoorimal contributed significantly to the city’s development, constructing landmarks such as the Armenian Ghat and the steeple of the Armenian Church. Bhattacharya explains, “The name, the Armenian Ghat, may perhaps be explained by the fact that it was constructed in 1734 by Manvel Hazaar Maliyan, also known as Huzoorimal, to facilitate the shipment of goods from foreign shores.”

 Armenian Ghat in the 1800s (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Armenians maintained their cultural identity through traditional dress, exclusionist policies with the British, and their close-knit community centered around the Armenian Church. Scholars argue that this endogamous nature contributed to the decline of their numbers over time. 

By the twentieth century, many Armenians began emigrating from Calcutta, especially as sea trade expanded to ports like Penang, Malacca, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Notable families, such as the Sarkies, moved abroad to establish businesses, including the renowned Raffles Hotel in Singapore. 

While the Armenian community in Calcutta has significantly dwindled, Roy and Roy assert, “It is indisputable that Armenians were one of the first settlers of the city of Calcutta.”