In the serpentine by-lanes of the One Town area, slumbers a centuries-old European Cemetery. Early records refer to it as ‘Old Cemetery’. Over 80 graves rest here. A small red signage put up by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation gives a brief history of the place. Patrick Lawson, after whom Lawson’s Bay is named is buried here along with several other prominent people.
Digging up the past
The graves are overgrown with weeds and garbage lies around. The headstones are blackened with their corners chipped off. The oldest grave in the cemetery belongs to Anne Owen, wife of a bookkeeper. The grave dates back to July 1699 and has a tombstone with inscriptions about her family’s history. The others buried there include administrators, soldiers, traders, etc.
“These were the records that I found in a book titled Christian Cemeteries of Vizagapatam and Waltair written by David Cooke. The book that was published in the 1930s records the number of graves, their conditions and the inscriptions on the tombstones,” says Jayshree Hatangadi, city’s history chronicler.
Jayshree conducts a 10-venue heritage walk around One Town Area, and she always visits the cemetery. As a member of the non-profit organisation Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Jayshree participated in a cleanliness drives here. “While we were cleaning up, we found at least 23 more graves that were not mentioned in the book (50 graves were documented by David),” she says.
Jayshree adds that over 30 graves are in good condition while 40 others require restoration. “The writings on most of the graves are still very much legible. The most intriguing inscription is on the grave of Cadet Kings Ford Venner who died in October 1780 in what could be the earliest mutiny by Indian sepoys against their British administrators. This pre-dates the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by 77 years,” she adds.
Sadly, not much has been done to preserve the place, rues Jayshree. Many residents living around the area are not even aware of the cemetery and its importance, she says.
Thanks to the efforts of INTACH there is a little breakthrough. Gorsa Manga who was born and raised in the very alley that leads to the cemetery had no idea of its historical significance. “Most of the residents believed that the graveyard was haunted and we were advised to keep away. We learnt about its history just a decade ago, when the members of INTACH came to clean the place,” she says. She also remarks that living beside an ill-kept cemetery meant the constant inconvenience of insects and snakes. “The Visakhapatnam Christian Cemeteries Board which is responsible for the maintenance of the place rarely arranges cleaning drives. The cemetery is cleaned only once in a year,” she says.
Striving for funds
“Cleaning drives are arranged periodically, but these activities are largely dependant on the availability of funds. The board depends on donations and contributions from the public for funds,” says Edward Paul, a historian who is associated with the Visakhapatnam Christian Cemeteries Board. There was a cleaning drive four months ago there but disposing of garbage by people has remained a perennial problem, he says.
“The members of the Board are in touch with the London-based British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (BACSA), an organisation that aims to maintain and record details of European cemeteries in South Asia. Efforts are being made to seek assistance for restoration work,” he adds.
