[THREAD]
This thread is how Christian saints crushed and destroyed Hindu idols in Armenia in 304 CE and converted the people to Christianity.
This is the work of Gregory the Illuminator, who served as the first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
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This thread is how Christian saints crushed and destroyed Hindu idols in Armenia in 304 CE and converted the people to Christianity.
This is the work of Gregory the Illuminator, who served as the first head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
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Where is Armenia? It's located near the Caspian Sea, but is landlocked by Georgia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran. See map for the exact location of Armenia.
How did Hindu religion and culture reach Armenia and when?
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How did Hindu religion and culture reach Armenia and when?
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The existence of an ancient Indian colony in Armenia is well-known to Armenian scholars, but not known in India. This information comes from a Syrian person named Zenob, who was the companion of St. Gregory, the Illuminator on an idol-smashing tour through Armenia in 304 CE.
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This information about the atrocities on the Hindus comes from Zenob's work on History of Taron (modern Muş Province in Turkey). Let's see how these Hindus arrived in far-away Armenia. These Hindus reached Armenia around 149 BCE. The Armenian king was then Valarsaces.
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Two Indian chiefs named Gisane (Kisan?) and Demetr (Debmitra?) fled westwards from India after an unsuccessful rebellion. In the period 149-127 BCE, the Sakas and the Greeks invaded the Indus Valley and North-Western Punjab. They fled with their people and arrived at Armenia
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King Valarsaces gave them the canton of Taron for residence. There the Hindus founded a town called Vishap (literal translation Nagpur, or town of the snake). The Hindus set up the idols and murtis in the neighboring town of Ashtishat (ruins of pagan Hellenistic temples)
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15 years later, the king killed the chiefs but their three sons Kuaur (Kumar?), Melted (Mahato, Mahut?) and Horian continued the lienage. They created a temple for the two idols Gisane (Kisan) and Demetr (Devamitra) on the banks of Euphrates where the Hindus worshipped.
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The Hindu community flourished in the next 300-350 years. The descendants of the sons were the temple priests, 12 villages were assigned for temple service and maintenance.
Then in 304 CE, Gregory the Illuminator appeared for demolishing the idolatry.
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Then in 304 CE, Gregory the Illuminator appeared for demolishing the idolatry.
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The Hindus took up arms to defend their temple and idols, so Gregory had to flee to a nearby castle. Both sides got reinforcements and in the battles, the chief priest and his son were killed. The Hindus lost but they pleaded to save the Murtis.
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6 priests fell at the temple door, another 1 died in torture without giving the treasury of the gods. The Christians then demolished the copper idols, 12 and 15 cubits high (1 cubit roughly 20 inch). The temples were burnt to the ground. There Gregory erected a church.
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A cross marked the location of the Kisan idol. 5000 Hindus were forced into baptism, 438 Hindus who resisted conversion had their heads shaved and transported to a faraway holdout near Caspian Sea, after which they were unheard of.
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If you search for Gregory the Illuminator in @Wikipedia, you will find this text, "He was a religious leader who is credited with converting Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301".
These were some of the incidents in that conversion process.
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These were some of the incidents in that conversion process.
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This entire anecdote comes from Zenob's own writings, who was an eye-witness to this incident. The write-up and translation can be found in p. 309 of Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain 1904.
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