Armenian Church of St Peter, Mumbai 2

Here are some excerpts from a flyer that the Armenian Church shared with me:

“It is believed that the Armenian Church Mumbai was established by relatives of one of the Queens of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great. The relatives of Queen Mariam were initially residing at Surat, then shifted to Mumbai and finally to Agra where the Queen lies buried at Armenian Cemetery.”

“This Armenian Church is the oldest Oriental Orthodox Church in Mumbai and it is the mother Church of all Orthodox Churches in Western India. The present church structure as we see today is the one reconstructed in the year 1961.”

The few people I met at the Church seemed to be Syrian Christians who spoke in Malayalam (the language of the people from Kerala). The church interior was sparse but I liked the soft glow and warmth of the lamps.

Lamps 11

These are photos (different perspectives) of the same bulb (and filament) in Starbucks, R City Mall, Ghatkopar, in Mumbai.

Lamps 10

Christmas and New Year’s in Mumbai

Lamps 9

Lamps at a friend’s place in New Delhi.

Lamps 8

Lamps at a friend’s friend’s place in New Delhi.

Diwali 2013

Looking straight up at a lit kandeel (a paper lantern) – lights, colours, patterns, beauty – a new perspective to life. HAPPY DIWALI EVERYONE.