This article covers the historical links between India and Armenia, cultural events and institutions, Hindi teaching and scholarships, and the Indian community and students in Armenia. The information comes from the MEA bilateral brief on India and Armenia of June 2026.

The MEA brief of June 2026 records a long history of contact between the two peoples. It notes that historians have suggested some Armenians accompanied the Assyrian queen Semiramis when she invaded India in ancient times, as they probably did Alexander the Great in 326 BC. According to literary evidence cited in the brief, two Indian Princes, Krishna and Ganesh, arrived in Armenia with their families as early as 149 BC and were allotted land in the Taron region, now in Turkey.

The brief states that Thomas Cana is said to be the first Armenian to have landed on the Malabar Coast, in 780 AD, and that the first guidebook to Indian cities in Armenian was written in the 12th century. By the Middle Ages, the Armenian towns of Artashat, Metsbin and Dvin had become centres for barter with India. India exported precious stones and herbs, and Armenia exported hides and dyes.

Armenian traders came to Agra during the Mughal Empire. The brief records that Emperor Akbar, who was believed to have an Armenian wife, Mariam Zamani Begum, granted Armenians numerous privileges and considerable religious freedom. In the 16th century, Armenian communities emerged in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Agra, where the first Armenian Church was constructed in 1562.

Several Armenian landmarks are linked to India. The first Armenian constitution (Vorogayt Parats) was written in Madras (Chennai) in 1773 by Shahamir Shahamirian, who founded the first Armenian printing press in Madras. The Armenian language journal "Azdarar", published in Madras in 1794, was the first Armenian journal published anywhere in the world. The Indian classical singer Gohar Jaan, the first to be recorded on gramophone in 1902, was of Armenian origin.

The vestigial Armenian community in India is now mainly settled in Kolkata. The Holy Church of Nazareth, erected in 1707 and repaired and embellished in 1734, is the biggest and oldest Armenian Church in Kolkata.

Mahatma Gandhi and Indian culture in Armenia

The Indian Embassy, in cooperation with the Government of Armenia, celebrated the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, and Haypost, the Department of Posts of Armenia, issued a stamp on Mahatma Gandhi on 23rd May 2019. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was installed in Yerevan in April 2021 and inaugurated on 16 August 2021 by the President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who visited Armenia from 14-17 August 2021. During the visit he also inaugurated the Veda Center for Indology at the Russian-Armenian University. A Mahatma Gandhi Center was set up at the Yerevan State Medical University in 2021.

An Indian Cultural Centre run by a local NGO, the India-Armenia Friendship Society, carries out activities to promote Indian culture in Armenia. The Society co-organised an Indo-Armenian Cultural Festival at the Kajaran Cultural House in the southern Syunik region on 12-13 October 2024, with Grant-in-Aid from the Indian Embassy.

Folk arts and crafts

A 12-member Armenian Folk Dance Group, Masunq, took part in the International Folk Festival organised by ICCR in December 2019. A Folk Group, Kayt, and 3 artisans took part in the Surajkund International Crafts Mela in 2019, and the brief describes Armenian troupes as almost regular participants in the Mela. Three craftspersons took part in its 37th and 38th editions in 2024 and 2025, and two craftspersons from the Folk-Art Museum were taking part in the 39th edition from 31 January-15 February 2026.

An ODOP (One District One Product) exhibition of products from UP, Bihar and J&K was held at the Folk Arts Museum in Yerevan from 04-10 December 2024.

Film festivals

The Indian Mission in Yerevan has organised a series of film events:

  • a Satyajit Ray Film Festival at the Moscow Cinema Hall on 24-25 November 2023;
  • a Festival of Yash Raj Films at the same venue from 14-17 November 2024, under the Development, Communication & Dissemination of Filmic Content (DCDFC) Scheme of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, through the National Film Development Corporation;
  • a film festival marking Raj Kapoor's Centenary from 07-09 February 2025, with a photo exhibition on the 'Life & Times of Raj Kapoor';
  • a Retrospective of Mithun Chakraborty Films from 28-30 March 2025;
  • a Festival of Contemporary Indian Films in Yerevan from 05-07 December 2025 with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), followed by a festival in Kapan, Syunik region, from 06-08 March 2026 and a second Yerevan edition from 27-29 March 2026.

In the other direction, the Armenian film "Lullaby for the Mountain", the debut feature of filmmaker Hayk Matevosyan, had its Asia Premiere at the 56th India International Film Festival (IFFI) in Goa from 20-28 November 2025.

Yoga, Ayurveda and public events

The Mission marked the 8th Ayurveda Day on 10 November 2023, the 9th on 29 October 2024 and the 10th on 23 September 2025. On World Meditation Day, a Yoga Workshop was held on 20 December 2024 with the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports and Luys Yoga Studio. Three Armenians from Luys Yoga Studio took part in the 1st World Yogasana Sports Championship in Ahmedabad from 04-08 June 2026, where Ms. Sona Soghoyan won a bronze medal in the 'Supine Yoga Poses (Individual)' category.

The Embassy organised the "Viksit Bharat Run" on 28 September 2025, when Yerevan was among the 150 cities hosting the 5-km run. Around 150 runners and 20 volunteers took part. Under the "Mission LiFE" initiative, the Embassy and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets held a photo exhibition by conservationist Shri Vivek Menon in Yerevan on 16 October 2023.

Scholars, journalists and public figures

As part of the events for the 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Oriental Studies organised a conference, "Armenia-India: New Incentives for Millennial Relations", from 27-29 November 2022. At its close, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of the Sciences of Armenia and the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) signed an MoU. Dr. Ram Madhav, President of India Foundation, visited Armenia on 31 October 2025 and interacted with the Orbeli Analytical Center.

The Director General of the National Archives of India, Shri Arun Singhal, attended the 13th International Seminar "Faces of Memory" in Yerevan from 07-09 October 2024. A facsimile of the Gilgit manuscript of the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra was gifted to the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts on the occasion.

Armenian journalists have joined MEA familiarisation visits. Two, from Armenpress and News.am, visited India from 22-28 June 2024. Three, from CivilNet, Armenpress and News.am, joined a visit from 09-18 December 2025, and a defence journalist from News.am joined the 1st Familiarization Visit for Defence Journalists.

In November 2024, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi delivered the keynote address at a conference of the Armenian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and received an Honorary Doctorate of Yerevan State University. The founder of Infosys, Shri Narayana Murthy, was conferred the Global IT Award 2023 by PM Pashinyan on 15 November 2024.

Hindi and scholarships

The Ministry of External Affairs sponsors Hindi teaching in Armenia. Armenian candidates avail 2 annual ICCR scholarships to study in India and 1-2 scholarships at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS). Ms. Liliya Tadevosyan was granted an Ayush Scholarship to study the BAMS course at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, for the academic year 2024-25.

The Mission celebrates Hindi Day and World Hindi Day regularly. In 2024, World Hindi Day was celebrated on 10 January and Hindi Day on 16 September; in 2025, World Hindi Day was celebrated on 17 January and Hindi Day on 15 September. The brief states that Armenians and Indians take part in large numbers in the competitions held at these events.

Indian community and students in Armenia

According to the brief, there is a moderate Indian student community in Armenia of approximately 2066, and the Indian expatriate population is around 38,650. The students are mainly in the medical field, studying at one Government University, Yerevan State Medical University, and at 4-5 private universities.