Indian Cemetery

What I can see

In an area of ​​0.55 acres in the area of ​​Dendropotamos, there is a very special cemetery for 520 Indians who fought with the English fleet in the First World War. It was designed by the architect Robert Lorimer. The dead are of different religions, i.e. Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs, with a few Christians and Buddhists. Most were from poor rural families. Marble tombstones include names, dates of death, military branch, serial number and an inscription. The most common inscription is in Arabic (for Muslims), which says “he forgives, Allah forgives in the end”, but it is also found on Hindu tombs. A mausoleum contains the ashes of 220 people, and there is a monument to 163 missing dead whose bones are either in anonymous graves or have never been found.

What I can't see

Although the British burned the Hindus according to their custom, some were buried along with Muslims or Sikhs. They also buried a few Christians without knowing it. The erroneous burial of Hindus and the Muslim inscription on their graves, along with the burial of Christians and Buddhists in the cemetery are indicative of the confusion and plight of British troops at that time. At the same time, however, a cemetery of uniqueness was created, because there is no other Hindu cemetery anywhere in the world. Half of those buried here did not die in battle, but from diseases, because the Indians were not accustomed to the winter climate of Thessaloniki. Most likely, the existence of these dead is completely unknown to their descendants, because they came from parts of British India, before it was divided into Pakistan-India-Bangladesh and before massacres, uprootings and population exchanges took place.

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