History of Goa

This small Indian state of Goa has a very interesting past. Legend goes that three thousand years ago the wandering Indian sage, Parasurama, who was in search of an untouched land took an arrow and shot into the waves. As the waves cleared, the land that surfaced was Goa.

Goa has withstood the test of time as various Indian kingdoms fought to establish thier power over this small Konkan land. The first rulers to take over Goa were the Bhojas in the 4th century. Later on, Goa was ruled consecutively by Silahara Dynasty, Kadamba Danasty, and finally Hoysala from 1022 to 1342 AD.

Goa never figured about the Portuguese radar for a long time even after they planted firm rooting in India. When the Portuguese nobleman Alfonso de Albuquerque and his cousin Francisco de Albuquerque were sent with a powerful fleet in 1503 on the orders of King Dom Manuel I, the purpose was to defend the cargoes of spices, mostly pepper, against Arab Muslim raiders. The center of spice trade was Calicut at that time and Portuguese had built forts in Cochin and Cannanore.

It was in 1506-08 that an opportunistic pirate, Timoja, persuaded Albuquerque to attack Goa and acquire a better land base. This made Goa the first real territory to be occupied by the Portuguese in Asia. After a brief period of recapturing by the Muslims, Albuquerque finally captured Goa in 1510.

The inquisition of Goa history in 1540 reversed the previous liberal policy of Albuquerque and imposed strict censorship of literature and new laws which forbade non-Christians from taking any kind of professions. This led to continuous fleeing of Hindus from Goa to other parts of India.

It is not that the relationship with Portugal brought only destruction for the Goans. Portuguese also built great churches like the church of St. Cajetan and Bom Jesus basilica in Old Goa history, which is a pilgrimage site for the Christians from around the world. But it is also true that pre-1961, Goa was a highly impoverished region very backward and primitive. It is only after the liberation that Goa has emerged as what it is today, surprising even the locals who had left their homeland before its liberation. Portugal and India are today friends and Goa continues to be a fascinating blend of Latin and Oriental.