The month of March this year marks the 125th anniversary of the visit of the entourage of the saintly fathers led by St Gregorios of Parumala
(Parumala Thirumeni), who on their way to the Holy Land, set their foot in Bombay and
were in the city for approximately two weeks. Thirumeni’s travelogue mentions
that they arrived in Bombay during the Malayalam month of Kumbham (21) i.e.
March 03, 1895. It is during this time that they happened to visit the St Peter’s
Armenian Church at Colaba. Below are some extracts from his travelogue
concerning their stay in Bombay.
Thirumeni was mesmerized with this city; he first
explains the harbor scenery and the ships that adorn it. In Thirumeni’s words:
“We never saw such a big and beautiful city anywhere
else during our journey. The Bombay harbor has prime importance in the whole
India. As the city projects into the sea, it is surrounded on three sides by
the sea. Ships can enter the bay, which is always very deep. The bay is divided
into different segments, so that ships could be anchored in each of these
segments, near the coast and safe from tempests raging in the sea. Each of
these segments is protected by strong bunds. On both sides of these bunds there
are roads wide enough for vehicles to ply. Ships can enter through rivers, and
there are iron bridges across the rivers. These bridges could be lifted by machines
when ships enter or leave the bay. Ships lie so close to the coast that it is
possible to get into them with the help of a ladder. Sometimes one could get
into the ships using just a plank……The sea is aglow with the lights of these
ships during the night. When you look at the masts and chimneys of these ships
from a distance, it may look like a forest with trees whose crests have been
cut off!”
Mumbai is known as the land of skyscrapers in India
and it was true 125 years back as well. Thirumeni’s keen eye for details is
noted in the way he describes his ‘Bombay discoveries’. He says:
“The city is full of gigantic buildings. It is rather
impossible to see single storeyed buildings except in villages outside the
city. Most of the houses have four to
six floors. Some even have seven floors. Granite is used for the construction
of buildings. The majority of the houses have verandahs for each floor. The
painted railings for the verandahs are made of iron. Most buildings are
terraced. People of our state who have not seen such big buildings and
embellishments may look at them with wonder. On the top of each building there
are architectural decorative works of pinnacles, railings, flowers or crosses and
domes. It is an extremely beautiful sight to see buildings adjacent to each
other and in rows. The houses have their names inscribed on them in golden
letters for identification. These houses are distinguished by marble pillars,
marble floors and costly household articles. Apollo Hotel, High Station
(Victoria Terminus), General Hospital, Victoria garden etc. are amazing
constructions. What was referred to as ‘garden’ is actually a museum which was
a gift to the Queen made by David Sazoon. Though this zoo does not house as
many birds and animals as in the zoo in Trivandrum, the building is certainly
magnificent.
High Station (Victoria terminus) is the major railway
station. The enormous building is famous for its architecture. A building in
front of this can accommodate 16 trains at one time…nearby there is a silk
factory and many cotton mills in the city.
There is no space here to give a detailed description of the shops in
the city.
The roads are wide. There are numerous tram-carriages
drawn by horses which provide cheap access to any place in the city, any time
of the day…..there are footpaths and also granite pavements on both sides of
the road.
Pipe water is made available in houses for drinking
and bathing purposes. The lamps in important places are lit by electricity.
There are number of telegraph offices and the telegraph facilities even in big
shops. The inhabitants of this city are mostly Hindus, Muslims or Parsis. There
are also Christians and Jews.”
 |
| Victoria Terminus now CST |
And finally, Thirumeni speaks of the presence of
clergy and church for a small Armenian Orthodox Christian community and like a
loving shepherd wishes that a parish would have been developed for our
community had there been a church and a priest. A quarter century later, through
the Triune God’s immense grace and the mighty intercessions of the saintly
fathers, the Bombay diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church has numerous
parishes to cater to the spiritual needs of the faithful.
“Though there are only five Armenian families, they
have a priest and a church. The church is rich enough to give decent salary and
allowances to the priest…if our community had a priest and a church here, it
would have developed into a good parish. On Sunday we visited the Armenian
Church- there was no Eucharistic service that day. Because the congregation was
so small that they did not conduct service on every Sunday. The architecture of
the church is same as that of a Syrian church.”
May the prayers of St Gregorios of Parumala and St
Dionysius Vattasseril be a refuge for us.
In Christ,
Rincy John
(Ref: Oorsalem Yathra Vivarannam-
Mar Gregorios Geevarghese, Sophia Books, Kottayam, pgs 13-17/ A Journey to
Jerusalem- Pgs 44-48)
