Dutch and Armenian Tombs

The Dutch and Armenian Tombs are protected seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European tomb enclosures near Katargam Darwaja in Surat, Gujarat, on Rampura Street. They belong to the era when Surat was India's leading port and merchants from the Netherlands, Armenia and elsewhere maintained trading factories along the Tapi river. The Dutch cemetery is best known for its large domed and pillared mausoleums, built in brick and plaster with Indo-European details, among them the monument to the Dutch commander Baron Adriaan van Reede and the tombs of other company officials. Nearby, the Armenian cemetery holds smaller memorials carrying inscriptions in the Armenian script, which are one of the few physical traces of that community's role in the city's commerce. Together the two enclosures are among the most distinctive monuments of Surat's trading age and give a rare sense of the cosmopolitan merchant society that grew around the port. Visitors walk among the tombs within the walled compounds, noting the weathered stucco, domes and carved inscriptions, and the surrounding lanes of old Surat add to the atmosphere. A visit takes about 30 to 45 minutes. Gujarat Tourism notes that photography is prohibited at the cemeteries, so cameras should be kept away. Entry is not ticketed, but access depends on a caretaker, so visitors should confirm access and go during daylight hours. The sites are quiet and uncrowded at nearly all times, with mornings from October to March being the most comfortable and the light the clearest for viewing inscriptions. The monsoon brings overgrowth and slippery ground, and conservation is uneven, so some monuments appear worn. The tombs lie about 3 km from Surat Railway Station, reachable by auto-rickshaw in 15 to 20 minutes, and drivers should be asked for Katargam Darwaja. Visitors should be respectful, as these are burial grounds.