Goa's history stretches back to the 3rd Century BC, when,
it formed part of the Mauryan Empire. It was later ruled by
the Satyahanas of Kothapur at the beginning of the
Christian era, and eventually passed to the Chalukyas of Badami,
who controlled from 580-750 AD.
Over the next few Centuries it was ruled successively by the
Shillaharas, the Kadambas and the Chalukyans of Kalyani. Goa
fell to the Muslims for the first time in 1312, but the invaders
were forced to evacuate it in 1370, by Harihara, whose capital
was in present day Hampi.
They held Goa for nearly 100 years, and its harbours became
important landing places for ships carrying Arabian horses to
Hampi. In 1469 Bahmini Sultans of Gulbaga conquered Goa. When
this dynasty broke up, the area passed to the Adil Shahas of
Bijapur, who made Goa Velha their second capital. The old secretarial
building in Panjim, is the former palace of Adil Shah, and it
was later taken over by the Portuguese, as their official residence.
A fleet of four ships sailed out of the Tagus, in Portugal,
on the 8th July 1497. Their departure accompanied by the tears
shed by the crowds, and the chant of the priests was to have
a colossal effect on this remote location on the Indian subcontinent.
The Portuguese and Goa.
Vasco de Gama and his band of adventurers had setout to find
a new route to India, and to break the monopoly that the Turks
held in the spice trade. They reached India on 18 May1498.
Vasco de Gamma's voyage opened the Indian Route, or Cape Route,
as it was also known, that is to say regular sailing's of
fleets between the West and the East. The Indian route allowed
an important commercial traffic, the expansion and consolidation
of the Portuguese Empire, the dissemination of the Portuguese
language, and culture; and the legacy of the values and ideals
of Christianity in the Orient and Goa.
The broad horizon of information provided by the 'Discoveries',
was responsible for showing Europeans the truth about the
ways of life, of the Goan people and the Orient. This horizon
of information brought about a revolution in contemporary
ways of living, not only through the knowledge it revealed,
but also through the exchanges it produced. Which can be noticed
in many different areas, and with consequences that nowadays
are part of the world patrimony.
The Portuguese actually arrived in Goa in 1510, under the
command of Alfonso de Albuquerque. They had tried to establish
a base further south, but were opposed by the Zamorin of Calicut.
They faced stiff competition from the Turks, who controlled
the trade routes in the Indian Ocean at that time.
Blessed by its natural harbours and wide rivers, Goa was the
ideal base for the seafaring Portuguese, who determined to
wrestle control of the spice route from the East.
They were also possessed with the strong desire to spread
Christianity. Jesuit missionaries led by St. Francis Xavier
arrived in 1542. For a while Portuguese control was limited
to a small area around Old Goa, but by the middle of the 16th
Century, it had expanded to include the talukas (provinces)
of Bardez and Salcete.
The eventual ousting of the Turks, and the fortunes made
from the spice trade led to Goa's golden age. At this point
Old Goa was the largest city in the East, boasting of no less
than 300 churches, within the town, and having a population
of over 40,000 people. The colony became the viceregal seat
of the Portuguese Empire of the East, which included various
African port cities, East Timor and Macao. Decline set in,
however due to competition from the British, French and Dutch
in the 17th Century. Combined with Portuguese inability to
adequately service it's far flung Empire, its power rapidly
decayed.
Goa reached its present size in the 18th Century after a
series of annexations. In1763 the provinces of Ponda, Sanguem,
Quepem and Canacona were added, followed by Pednem, Bicholim
and Satari in1788.
The Marathas nearly vanquished the Portuguese in the late
18th Century. Then during the Napoleonic wars in Europe, there
was a brief occupation by the British, who had by then occupied
most of India, Afghanistan, Burma and Ceylon. But it was not
until 1961, when India, by then, an independent republic under
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, ejected them. The Portuguese finally
disappeared from the subcontinent.
But, even after 450 years of colonial rule, Goa has retained
a distinctive blend of cultures.
The Goan people and their lifestyle, even today still retain
a distinctive Southern European flavor, combined with the
unique mix of its own native culture. Modern-day Goa is a
conglomerate, of the various civilizations that it came in
touch with, and that influenced the culture of Goa.
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