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| Early history. Portuguese ..www.newworldencyclopedia.org |
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| Goa Beach, India magalic.com |
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| Early history. Portuguese ..www.newworldencyclopedia.org |
During the British rule, Goa was a tiny land, an enclave ruled by the Portuguese. When freedom struggle was on against the British, Gandhiji never focused his attention on the Portuguese who ruled over Goa for 451 years - more than the British. During the tumultuous period, the Portuguese ruled this tiny land quietly and that why did the Indian freedom fighters turn their attention to Goa is a moot question. The Portuguese were thrown out by the powerful Indian Army only on 19th December, 1961- the was lasted for a day - shortest in World history.
One finds the first literary reference to Goa in the Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata as Gomanta, meaning the region of cows. According to the Hindu scriptures, it is believed, that Parashurama, is its as its creator but it is not backed either by archaeological or by historical evidences. It was Parasurama who created a land by pushing the sea backward with his mystic seven arrows set out from the Sahydris. Accordingly, a vast region came into being called Shurparaka, meaning winnowing fan. Parashurama, 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, brought Brahmins from the North and settled them in this land, called Parashurama Kshetra.
Geological evidences, to some extend, support the theory that once the land was under the ocean as suggested by numerous marine fossils mainly gastropods of recent Pleistocene age - 12,000 to 15,000 years plus. A minor tectonic event (mountain building activity) might have pushed the sea bed upward and further lifting of the Deccan plateau as part of mountain building activities might have completely drained the waters. So, the present day Goa was once a vast expanse of sea, part of the Arabian ocean.
Between 1350 AD Goa was under the Bahmani Sultanate, later in 1370 the the Vijayanagar Hindu empire ruled this place for a century and Goa had important ports through which the rulers imported the Arabian horses to strengthen their military. It was in 1469 the Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga took control of Goa. Goa became a part of Adil Shah's Bijapur Sultanate soon after the split of the Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga. Goa became a second capital and Adil Shahi palace later became the former Secretariat building in Panaji, later taken over by the Portuguese Viceroys as their official residence.
The very first conquest of Goa, once a great and prosperous trading port on the Indian coast, took place in 1510. On behalf of the Portuguese admiral D. Afonso de Albuquerque. Goa (also Old Goa or Velha Goa) was not among the places Albuquerque had received orders to conquer.
Albuquerque, on request from one Thimayya, exiled Hindu chieftain from Goa attacked Goa to relieve the Hindu population of Goa from Muslim rule. As a matter of fact Goa was not on the agenda of Admiral Albuquerque who was on orders from the Portugal king to attack Aden and Malacca. Albuquerque accompanied by admiral António de Noronha first reached the city of Goa in February, 1510 and by 17th February took control of the local city after conquering the Muslim ruler Ismail Adil Shah of Bijapur (now in Kartataka).
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| Goa Map.Jplanettrekkerblog.com |
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| Portuguese landed in1510, later founded 3 colonies in Diu, Bassein, and Mangalore.www.slideshare.net |
The Portuguese left behind a lot of beautiful churches that form the vestiges of Portuguese rule, their legacy and their serious dedication to Christianity. Goa being a tropical paradise has historical churches of beauty and antiquity scattered across the entire land.
Among the numerous churches in Goa, Se Cathedral (1619), Bom Jesus Basilica (1605), Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (1541), Church of St. Catejan (1700) and Church of St Francis of Assisi (1661) are worthy of mention and are being visited by tourists, in particular, from Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_conquest_of_Goa
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