The Greek Cemetery of Kolkata

105 Narkeldanga Main Road

Crossroads Narkeldanga and Phulbagan

Helen Abadzi

habadzi@gmail.com

Bengali Studies Conference

Georgetown University, Washington DC

Around 2002

Greek presence in Kolkata

• Greek ‘refugees’ mainly from

Philippoupolis (now Plovdiv in Bulgaria)

• Left Ottoman empire when Brits took over

Kolkata

• Merchants of cloth, salt, jute

• (kyratzides, they went too far for kiraya)

• Greeks spread to Dhaka, buried there also

• Some reached high positions - Panioty

• Community defunct about 1973

The community

• Initially ‘a few peddling Greeks’

• Armenians were many more

• After 1-2 generations mainly intermarried

with British, French, but also Indians

• The Philippoupolites might have

disappeared, but in 1850 the Ralli brothers

opened branches and brought employees

• Details sketchy because archives were lost

The Greek cemetery

• About 2 acres, walled

• Surrounded by apartments

• Burials since late 1800s.

• Earlier gravestones brought there when

Amratollah st. church was abandoned

• Named gravestones 108.

• Unnamed about 12

• Also dedications in the small church

Greek churches

• Church on Amratollah street since the 1700s

• Metamorphosis – since 1923 (now a

mission) in Kalighat

• Small church inside the cemetery

Comparing with British Cemeteries..

Gravestones are..

• Rather small in size

• Community appeared to have modest means

• Older ones write long passages

• 20th century ones names and dates mainly

• Oldest since 1777, most recent since 1949

• About a third in Greek, many bilingual

Inscription features

• English: Sacred to the memory of…

• Biblical verses

• Comforting verses:

• “Safe in the hands of Jesus”

• Greek: Ancient language, homeric words

• Apparently a learned priest there in the

early 1800s

Gravestone makers

• Swaries

• Dowling (sculptor)

• Impressive accuracy in letters

• Most stones and etchings lasted 220+ years

How they were deciphered

• Most are clear despite 225 years for some

• One still undeciphered

• Some unreadable, but earlier accounts exist

• Asiaticus - British officer reported some

• Read during two visits

• Norris, P. 1992 «Ulysses in the Raj»,

BACSA, London

Interpretation Issues

• Family tree establishment difficult

• Many people had no last names in the 18-

19th century

• About 12 graves stripped of name stones

• Some use conventions, signs long forgotten

• Got help from the University of

Thessaloniki, notably Tasos Karanastasis

Rosario Church - KolkataGreek-Latin-Armenian in 1728

ΕΝΘΑ ΕΚΗΤΤΗΤΕΙ Ο ΔΟΥΛΟΣ

ΤΟΥ ΘΕΟΥ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΙΩ-

ΑΝΝΟΥ ΔΡΑΣΚΟΓΛΟY ΑΠΩ

ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥΠΟΛΗ

HIC JACET

GEORGIUS JOHANNIS

DRASCOGLU NATIONIS

GRAECUS EX PHILIP-

POPOLE. ANNO DOMINI

MDCCXXVIII Dies XX August

Ais dabanakar sadaganume Drascoglou havidryans hishadag vorti.

Alexis Argyris - Founder

HERE LIES THE BODY

Of a Greek Merchant AlexanderArgeery From Philipopoly Who Departed this Life

The 5th of AUGUST 1777

----------

• Η ΔΕ ΠΛΑΞ ΣΩΜΑ ΚΑΛΥΠΤΕΙ

ΑΛΕΞΙΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΑΡΓΥΡΗ ΕΚ

ΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ ΕΥΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΥ

ΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΜΟΥ ΕΜΠΟΡΟΥ ΟΣ ΕΝ

ΜΠΕΓΓΑΛΛΑ ΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΟΝ ΑΥΤΩΝ

ΒΙΟΝ ΕΝ ΠΟΛΕΙ ΔΑΚΑ ΠΡΟΣ

ΚΥΡΙΟΝ ΜΕΤΕΣΤΗ ΤΟΥ Δ’ ΕΝ

ΚΑΛΚΟΥΤΑ ΝΑΟΥ ΚΤΗΤΩΡ

ΥΠΑΡΧΩΝ ΜΕΤΕΤΕΘΗΚΕΝ ΚΑΙ

ΕΝ ΑΥΤΩ ΕΤΑΦΗ

• ΑΨΟΖ ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ Ε’

This stone covers the body of

Alexios son of Argyris from

Philippoupolis, noble and

official merchant, who in

Bengal lifed a merchant life for

many years and went to the

Lord in Dhaka

Because he was the builder of the

church, he was carried to it and

was buried there.

August 7, 1777

Angeliki

ΠΝΕΥΜΑ ΜΕΝ ΑΓΓΕΛΟΙ

ΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗΣ ΕΛΑΒΟΝ

ΤΟ ΔΕ ΣΩΜΑ ΤΟΥΤΟ ΣΗΜΑ

ΦΕΡΕΙ ΑΠΟΤΕΘΕΝ ΔΑΚΡΥΣΙ

ΔΑΚΡΥΣΑΝ ΟΡΦΑΝΟΙ

ΘΡΗΝΗΣΑΝ ΘΑΜΑ ΠΤΩΧΟΙ ΕΠΙ

ΣΟΙ

Ο ΓΥΝΑΙ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΑ

ΠΡΟΣ ΔΕ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΣΠΕΣΙΑ

4 ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ 1818

The angels have taken the

spirit of Angeliki and this

grave has the body, that

was laid with tears

Orphans cried, the poor

together cried on you

O blessed woman and also

wonderful

July 4 1818

Davidis – Priest from Tbilisi

ΕΝΘΑΔΕ ΚΕΙΤΑΙ ΔΑΒΙΔΗΣ

Ο ΜΕΝ ΙΒΗΡΙΑ ΓΑΙΑ

Η ΠΑΤΡΑΔΙ ΤΙΦΛΙΖΗ

ΚΑΙ ΓΕΝΕΤΗΣ ΙΕΡΕΥΣ

ΟΝΟΜΑ ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ

ΩΝ ΣΕΜΝΟΣ ΙΕΡΕΥΣ

ΚΑΙ ΥΠΟΥΡΓΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΝ

ΚΑΛΚΑΤΤΑ ΔΕ ΝΕΩ

ΑΠΕΘΑΝΕ ΑΩΗ ΙΟΥΝΙΟΥ ΙΑ’

Here lies Davidis

Who came from the land of

Iberia and fatherland

Tbilisi

And father was a priest

named Georgios

He was a humble priest and

caretaker of the Kolkata

church

He died June 12 1808

To the memory of

Eliza Georgiana

The beloved wife of

Charles Brownfeld

She departed this life

On Saturday the 7th May 1842

Age 27 years and 7 days

-------

Affectionate wife

A fond mother and sincere friend

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away

Blessed be the name of the Lord

--------

Ah Dear Eliza! Sainted Shade!

Farewell! How vain are words the heart’s deep grief to tell.

Even tears and sighs scarce indicate my woe.

Yet these alone are left me to bestow.

Dear wife that never made thine husband wee

Till now thou sleepest the last dreamless sleep.

Thine image like the moon in winter’s night

Shall shed on life’s dim close sacred light

But neer more may this sad heart receive

The bliss thy living smile alone could give.

Mavroudis Kyriakou

ΣΩΜΑ ΜΑΥΡΟΔή ΚΥΡΙάΚΟΥ ΗΔΕ

ΠΕΤΡΑ ΚΑΛΥΠΤΕΙ

ΑΝΔΡΟΣ ΛΟΓΙΟΥ ΕΥΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΥ

ΕΚ ΠΟΛΕΩΣ ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥ

ΕΜΠΟΡΟΥ ΧΡΗΣΙΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΥ

ΠΑΡΟΝΤΟΣ ΚΤΗΤΟΡΟΣ ΝΑΟΥ

ΟΣΤΙΣ ΒΙΟΝ ΗΜΕΙΨΕΝ ΕΝ ΜΗΝΙ

ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΥ, 10

1793 ΕΝ ΚΑΛΚΑΤΑ

This stone covers

the body of Mavroudis

Kyriakou, a man who was

literate, noble, from

Philippoupolis, useful

merchant and builder of the

present church, whose life

was rewarded on Dec. 10

1793 in Kalkata

Challenge of Interpretation

ΒΛέΠΩΝ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΕ [ΑΝΕ] ΟΤΙ

ΘΝΗΤόΣ ΕΤέΧΘΗΝ

ΔΕ? ΥΠΟ ΤΗΝ ΠλάΚΑ ΤΑΥΤΗΝ

ΝΕΚΡόΣ ΕΤέΘΗΝ

ΠΑΤΡΙΣ Η ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΥΠΟΛΙΣ ΚΑΙ

ΠΑΤΗΡ ΣΤΟΓΙΟΣ

Ο? EI?? ΔΕ ΚΑΙ όΝΟΜΑ ΤΟΥΜόΝ

ΖΗΤΗΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ

?? ΤΟΝ ΒΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΟΝ

ΜΕΤΕΡΧΟΜΕΝΟΣ

ΤΟΝ ΒΙΟΝ HΛΛΑΞΑ ΕΚ ΠΑΤΝΑΣ

ΚΑΤΗΡΧόΜEΝΟΣ

17 ΜΑΙΟΥ 1793

• Asiaticus - 1802

• O man, see and understand that

death will surely come. Therefore

on this tablet it is recorded that

Soteerios, whose native city was

Philippopolis and whose father was

Sogios pursued a commercial

calling in his life and died while

returning from Patna 17 May 1793

Causes of death – mainly

unknown

Armenian grave in Kolkata

Significance for Greece

• Many families no longer exist due to the

Asia Minor catastrophe

• Greeks exhume the dead after 3-4 years

• Such gravestones do not exist in Greece

• Insights to language of the period

• Migration patterns under Ottoman empire

Connections with the county?

• Demetrios Galanos - translator of Sanskrit

into ancient Greek

• Most others knew little

Σωτήριον του Θεού έτος 1802. Εαρ και Πάσχα του Κυρίου ημών Ιησού Χριστού.

Σ υ ν α χ θ έ ν τ ε ς ε ν τ ω ν α ώ τ ο ε σ π έ ρ α ς μ ε τ ά τ η ν δ ε υ τ έ ρ α ν τ η ς α ν α σ τ ά σ ε ω ς α κ ο λ ο υ θ ί α ν ,

ω μ ώ σ α μ ε ν ό ρ κ ο ν τ ο ν ι ε ρ ό ν ά π α ν τ ε ς ο ι ε ν Κ ο λ κ ό τ τ α Γ ρ α ι κ ο ί π ρ α γ μ α τ ε υ τ α ί , ε κ

Π ό ν τ ο υ κ α ι Β ι θ υ ν ί α ς κ α ι Κ α π π α δ ο κ ί α ς κ α ι Α ι ω λ ί α ς κ α ι Ι ω ν ί α ς χ ώ ρ α ς κ α ι Γ ρ α ι κ ί α ς

κ α ι ν ή σ ω ν κ α ι Β α ρ β α ρ ί α ς κ α ι Α ι γ ύ π τ ο υ κ α ι Β α σ ι λ ε υ ο ύ σ η ς Π ό λ ε ω ς κ α ι ο ι κ ο υ μ έ ν η ς

π ά σ η ς . Τ α μ η π ρ ο ς ε π ι τ η δ ε ί α ν α ν ά γ κ η ν γ ρ ό σ ι α κ α ι ά σ π ρ α κ α ι χ ρ υ σ ί ο ν κ α ι ά ρ γ υ ρ ο ν

κ α ι λ ο ι π ή ν ο υ σ ί α ν κ α τ α λ ι μ π ά ν ε σ θ α ι π ρ ο ς φ ύ λ α ξ ι ν ε ν Κ ο λ κ ό τ τ α δ ι α τ η ν α ν ά σ τ α σ ι ν

τ ο υ Γ έ ν ο υ ς τ ω ν Ρ ω μ α ί ω ν . Κ α ι μ η δ ε ί ς π ό π ω τ ε χ ε ί ρ α ν ε π ι λ α β έ σ θ ω ε π ’ α υ τ ώ ν .

Ε π ι δ ο θ ή τ ω σ α ν δ ε τ ω τ ω ν Ρ ω μ α ί ω ν Β α σ ι λ ε ί ω , ό τ ε θ ε ί α σ υ ν ά ρ σ ε ι τ ο ύ τ ο χ ρ η

α ν α σ τ ή ν α ι .