The Flight of Gods 2. The Portugese Episode

The Flight of Gods

THE PORTUGESE EPISODE

 

“Almas e especiaria” (We come to seek Christians and Spices) said Vasco da Gama, who landed at Kappad beach near Calicut in 1498 after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the first to negotiate the sea route from Europe to India. Following his epic voyage, the Portugese built bases at Anjediva Island near Goa and at Cannanore.
Portugal was the first European country to establish its colonial presence in India and the last to leave its shores. They were ruthless conquerors and proselytism was their main aim. They came “Cujus regio, illius religio” – Sword in one hand and the Cross in the other – a policy of fanatical evangelisation especially after the introduction of the “rigour of mercy” (rigor de misericordia) in 1541.

Memorial to Vasco da Gama at Kappad Beach, Kerala – Pic by Mohan Pai

Afonso Albuquerque succeeded in capturing the island of Ilhas (Tiswadi) with 20 ships and 1200 men after two attempts a bitter fight with the forces of Adil Shah. His main collaborators were Timaji, the Vijayanagar Admiral and Mhall Pai Vernekar, the Sardesai of Verna. It was at the invitation of Goan Hindus that Afonso Albuquerque decided to attack Goa. The Hindus were considerably disturbed by the activities of the Navayats who were brought by Adil Shah to Goa from Honavar and Bhatkal and who indulged in frequent acts of harrassment against the local Hindus. The militarygovernors under the Mohamedans, themselves local men, called the Desais were hated for their autocratic behaviour, which wen as far as forcing their formal equals to work as menials in the household, and treating the communal land as feudal if not private property. Afonso Albuquerque, during this attack put to death over 6,000 Muslims without showing any mercy..By 1543, the Portugese had annexed from the Bijapuris the adjoining lands of Bardez in the north and Salcete in the south. These three territories of the Ilhas (Tiswadi), Bardez and Salcete were designated as the “Old Conquests”.

Blue-tiled murals which line the entrance hall of the Menezes BraganzaInstitute. It’s a uniquely Portugese art form ‘azulezos’ which depictscenes from the great poem by Luis de Camos, ‘The Lusiads’ whichtells the story of the adventure of the Portugese Empire in the east.

It was not until 1764 that the ruler of Sonda threatened by the invasion of Hyder Ali, sought an asylum with the Portugese and placed his territories of Ponda, Sanguem, Ouepem and Canacona in the custody of the Portugese. Between 1781 and 1788 the Portugese succeededin negotiating and acquiring the northern areas of Pernem, Bicholim and Sattari from Bhonsales of Sawantwadi. Thus by 1788 the present boundaries of Goa were in place under the Portugese.

The proselytising of the local Hindus began in real earnest with the appointment of Miguel Vaz Coutinho as the Vicar-General of Goa in1941 who is credited withthe launching of concentrated and oppressive attacks on the local Hindus. Their temples destroyed, lands confiscated and their revenues and the material of the destroyed temples made available for the construction of churches and other ‘pious’ works. Again the decree of 1559 sanctioned the emolition of Hindu temples and idols, prohibited making of such images, banned the celebration of Hindu feasts, prohibited cremation of the Hindu dead and exiled Hindu priests.In 1560, ‘celebrating’ fifty years of Portugese occupation, the horrors of the Inquisition were inflicted on Goa. Described as “the Terrible Tribunal for the East”, the inquisition brought in its wake a fresh wave of religious persecution for the Hindus who were forced to convert or be damned to a life of harassment or emigration and as a result rapid and extensive conversions were achieved. Many were converted by fear of physical force, others from moral cowardice and quite a few to avoid loss of their property. This caused a general emigration of higher caste Hindus, and the tradition was that one brother of an extensive joint family would stay behind to be converted with his wife and children, for the sake of the land, while the rest fled.

This led to a breakup of what would have been the final type of patriarchal family. But the subsidiary effect was curious, in that henceforth Goa had “Brahmin Christians” and Christians of lower castes, the caste mechanism having been transferred in its essence to a casteless religion. Between 1541 and 1568 all the existing Hindu temples in the Ilhas, Bardez and Salcete were completely destroyed by the Portugese and according to the record there were 116 temples in the Ilhas, 176 in Bardez and 264 in Salcete. The Arch of the Viceroys, which once was the main gateway to the city was built by Vasco da Gama’s great-grandson. On taking office, all Viceroys made their processional entrance with great ceremony through this archway where they were presented with the keys of the city.

The Arch of the Viceroys , Old Goa – Pic by Mohan Pai

By the end of the sixteenth century all the villages in the “old Conquest” had become Catholic. The Hindus remained only in the townships. There was an exodus of the Hindus. Thousands of families fled from the horrors to the areas outside the Portugese control to the northern Konkan and to the southern coast and settled down all along the coast in the towns of Karwar, Gokarna, Kumta, Honavar, Bhatkal, Kasargod, Calicut and Cochin.

At the end of the seventeenth century it is estimated that out of a total population of two hundred fifty thousand in the Old Conquests, only twenty thousand were non-Christians. These included a large number of traders and visitors who were in Goa for temporary stays.

The Portugese would have continued this fanatical evangelism movement relentlessly till the total extermination of the non-Christians was achieved but for the rapid collapse of Portugal’s eastern commercial empire with its inevitable effect on Goa which faced moral and economic decadence and the initial religious zealotory of the missionaries considerably abated especially when Marquis de Pombal, the liberal Prime Minister came to power there was definite change in the policy towards the Hindus and he even banished the Jesuits. A number of Hindu families who had fled the old conquests returned during this period. But, by the 19th century, both the ruling country and the colony had become archaic survivors.

“GOA DOURADA”

Buddhism came to Goa in 2nd century BC and the reference to Goa in the Buddhist documents is made as ‘Suvarnabhumi’ and ‘Sunaparanta’ meaning the ‘Land of Gold. The Portugese did not create the “Golden Goa”. On the contrary it was the prosperity, opulence and fabulous wealth of an already legendary “Golden Goa” that drew them to possess it. Goa was already a fabled realm around which “ Tales from the Arabian Nights” were woven. When the Portugese came, the city and port had shifted to the north, to the banks of the Mandovi. But by all accounts, it was by then even more important and splendidly prosperous. Goa had remained a major entrepot for centuries – under the Kadambas, under Vijayanagar and under the Bahamanis. Ships still sailed from Sumatra (even China), Aden and Hormuz. Overland caravans brought the fabled riches of the central and south India from Devgiri (Daulatabad) and Vijayanagar(Hampi) to be traded for horses and muskets.

With the Portugese came mal-administration, rampant corruption, religious bigotry and brutal persecution. The public treasury was depleted and consuming public epidemics and perhaps more than anything else, the forced conversions and the black practices of the Goa Inquisition hastened the end of prosperity and the “Golden Goa”.

During the seventeenth century the religious fervour was at its peak showing no signs of flagging, in the face of degeneration in other aspects of Goan life. It was a ‘museum’ of 16th century imperialism, more plentifully supplied with churches than trade and with monks than soldiers. With progressive deterioration in civil administration, the ‘monks’ assumed considerable importance and influence, and the conversion process continued with frentic vigour. A great surge of ecclesiastical building had followed the arrival of the religious orders after 1540 and religious fervor backed by the accumulated wealth of Goa’s commercial heyday, now carried this architectural exuberance throughout the period of economic and political disarray on even a grander scale than before. This was the time when the great churches of Goa were completed and the city itself continued to present a brave social front, flaunting ostentation and luxury in defiance of economic circumstances.

Se Cathedral, Old Goa – Pic by Mohan Pai

The Se Cathedral is one of the largest in Asia and took nearly 90 years for completion after the church was ordered to be built by the King of Portugal in 1562. This was the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Asia inthe 16th and 17th centuries. It was built in the Renaissance style with some traces of Portugese Gothic. The famous “Golden Bell”, the largest bell in Goa is housed here.

The ‘gold’ of Goa Dourada refers not only to the sixteenth century glitter of churches and the prosperity of city of Goa but to its being European – the ‘Rome of the East’ possessing distinctly Lusitanian flavour. But the real Goa was ‘Goa Indica’, an essentially the eastern looking mode of cultural expression that sought religious, cultural and economic affiliation to the mainstream India.

Goa continued to languish under the Portugese colonial rule as a decadent province with a ruined economy and they did little besides maintaining order. Economic development was minimal, educational opportunities were lacking for the majority of people and political liberties lagged far behind those in the British territories across the border. These conditions turned Goa into a land from which its people migrated and went into exile and sought work and higher education in Bangalore, Belgaum, Calcutta, Karachi and above all, Bombay. Many Goans moved out of India to British colonies in East Africa and onto passenger ships as stewards, cooks and crew.

Portugal became a Republic in 1910 which liberated the Hindus of Goa from centuries of discrimination and repression. Immediately they flooded into schools, formed associations, started journals and libraries and took active role in public life as teachers, members of government councils and administrative officials. But by the year 1926 Salazar regime was established and this imposed fresh restrictions.

After World War II, Portugal tried to hold on to the fragments of her Indian empire By belatedly encouraging industries like mining and by turning Goa into a duty-free port.

The Portugese colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu were finally liberated from the decadent colonialism by Indian armed forces on December 19, 1961. The Portugese had clung to these pockets for 451 years.

In the year 1851 the Christian population of Goa amounted to 64.5%, mostlyThe converted masses from the Old Conquests. By the year 1910 the Christian and the Hindu population were almost equal (50% each). In 2003 Hindus areIn majority (66%) followed by the Christians (26%) and Muslims (7%).

The major Hindu groups are represented by the Brahmin communities (Gaud Saraswats, Karhade, Padhye, Battaprabhu, etc.), Shets (Goldsmiths), Vaishyas(Vanis), Ksahtriyas, Guravs and a large population of the original Pre-Dravidian and Dravidian settlers represented by Gauddes, Kulawadis, Kharvis, Kulambis(Kunbis), Velips, Dhangars, Gavlis. Mhars, etc. who were absorbed into Hinduism.

These tribes made Goa a place of rich and Vibrant culture as represented by ‘Gaunkaris’, their folk dances and songs like the Gaudde Jagor, Kunbi Naach, Dhalo, Gudulyan geet, Perni Jagor and their folk deities – Vetal and Santer cults which are the original cults of Gauddes and Kunbis.

by Mohan Pai

The Flight of Gods – Hindu Temples and Shrines of Goa – 1.

by Mohan Pai

THE FLIGHT OF GODS

Hindu Temples & Shrines of Goa

Hindu Temples

All over the ancient civilized world, wherever primitive civilization came into existence (in Africa, Western & eastern Asia, Europe) a temple always arose. “The beginnings of civilization and the appearance of temples is simultaneous in history. The two things belong together. The beginning of cities is the temple stage of history” (H. G. Wells). People have lived in the town of Jericho continuously since about 9,000 BC. A shrine stands on the site of ancient Jericho in the Near East on the west bank of river Jordan. Perhaps this is the oldest temple recorded in human history.

Birth of Hindu Temples

In India, the Vedic people did not have temples but had outdoor platforms termed as “Yagasala” for Vedic rituals. Temples do not seem to have existed during the Vedic age. It is the Yagasala of the Vedic period that gradually got metamorphosed into temples owing to the influence of the cults of devotion and the images of the deities of the Vedas came into vogue by the end of the epic period.The earliest temples were built with perishable materials like timber and clay and the cave-temples, temples carved out of the stone or built with bricks came later. Heavy stone structures with ornate architecture and sculpture belong to a still later period.There is a basic set pattern for building of temple followed both in the North and in the South. In spite of the basic pattern being the same, varieties did appear, gradually leading to the evolution of different styles in temple architecture. Broadly speaking, these can be classified into the northern and the southern styles. The northern style, technically called nagara, is distinguished by the curvilinear towers. The southern style, known as the dravida, has its towers in the form of truncated pyramids. A third style, vesara by name, is sometimes added, which combines in itself both these styles. They employ respectively the square, octagon and the apse or circle in their plan. These three styles do not pertain strictly to three different regions but as indicating only the temple groups.

Nagara, Dravida & Vesara designs

The temples at Sanchi, Tigawa (near Jabbalpur in Madhya Pradesh), Bhumara (in Madhya Pradesh), Nachna (Rajasthan) and Deogarh (near Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh) have withstood the vagaries of time and are the earliest temples belonging to Gupta period (320-650 A.D.)

The Dravidan school of architecture, evolved from the earliest Buddhist shrines which were both rock-cut and structural. These earliest temples which have survived are found in Tamil Nadu and northern Karnataka. The later rock-cut temples which belong roughly to the period 500-800 A.D. were mostly Brahmanical or Jain, patronised by three great ruling dynasties of the south, namely the Pallavas of Kanchi in the east, the Chalukyas of Badami in the 8th century A.D, the Rastrakutas of Malkhed made great contributions to the development of south Indian temple architecture. The Kailasanatha temple at Ellora belongs to this period.

Aihole and Pattadakal group of temples (5 – 7 centuries) in northern Karnataka show early attempts to evolve an acceptable regional style based on tradition. Among the better known early structural temples at Aihole are the Huchimalligudi and Durga temples as also the Ladkhan temple, all assigned to the period 450-650 A.D. Equally important are the temples of Kasinatha, Papanatha, Sangamesvara, Virupaksa and others in Pattadakal near Aihole as also the Svargabrahma temple at Alampur (Andhra Pradesh). It is in some of these temples, built by the later Chalukyas, that we come across the vesara style, a combination of the northern and the southern modes.The dravida or Tamilian style became very popular throughout south India only from the Vijayanagar times onward. The northern style came to prevail in Rajasthan Upper India, Orissa, the Vindhyan uplands and Gujarat.During the next thousand years (from600 to 1600 A.D.) there was a phenomenal growth in temple architecture both in quantity and quality. The first in the series of southern or dravidian architecture was initiated by the Pallavas (600-900A.D.) The rock-cut temples at Mahabalipuram (of the aks. The temples, now built of stone, became bigger, more complex and ornate with sculptures. Dravidian architecture reached its glory during the Chola period (900-1200 A.D.) by becoming more imposing in size and endowed with happy proportions. Among the most beautiful of the Chola temples is the Brihadisvara temple at Tanjore with its 66 metre high vimana, the tallest of its kind. The later Pandyans who succeeded the Cholas improved on the style by introducing elaborate ornamentation and big sculptural images, many-pillared halls, new annexes to the shrine and towers (gopurams) on the gateways. The mighty temple complexes of Madurai and Srirangam in Tamil Nadu set a pattern for the Vijayanagar builders (1350-1565 A.D.) who followed the dravidian tradition. The Pampapati and Vitthala temples in Hampi are standing examples of this period. The Nayaks of Madurai who succeeded the Vijayanagar kings (1600-1750 A.D.) made the dravidian temple complex even more elaborate by making the gopurams very tall and ornate and adding pillared corridors within the temple long compound.

Madurai and Srirangam in Tamil Nadu set a pattern for the Vijayanagar builders (1350-1565 A.D.) who followed the dravidian tradition. The Pampapati and Vitthala temples in Hampi are standing examples of this period. The Nayaks of Madurai who succeeded the Vijayanagar kings (1600-1750 A.D.) made the dravidian temple complex even more elaborate by making the gopurams very tall and ornate and adding pillared corridors within the temple long compound.Contemporaneous with the Cholas (1100-1300A.D.), the Hoysalas who ruled the Kannada country improved on the Chalukyan style by building extremely ornate temples in many parts of Karnataka noted for the sculptures in the walls, depressed ceilings, lathe-turned pillars and fully sculptured vimanas. Among the most famous of these temples are the ones at Belur, Halebid and Somanathapura in south Karnataka, which are classified under the vesara style. Today, in the state of Tamil Nadu alone, there are more than 10,000 temples, Of these 1,800 are in Tanjavur district alone. In the north, the chief developments in Hindu temple architecture took place in Orissa (750-1250 A.D.) and Central India (950-1050 A.D.) as also Rajasthan (10th and 11th Century A.D.) and Gujarat (11th-13th Century A.D.). The temples of Lingaraja (Bhubaneshwar), Jagannatha (Puri) and Surya (Konarak) represent the Orissan style. The temple at Khajuraho built by the Chandellas, the Surya temple at Modhera (Gujarat) and other temple at Mt. Abu built by the Solankis have their own distinct features in Central Indian architecture. Bengal with its temples built in bricks and terracotta tiles and Kerala with its temples having peculiar roof structure suited to the heavy rainfall of the region, developed their own localised special styles.The Hindus colonised the South East Asian countries from 7th century A.D. onwards and built many a temple. The earliest of such Hindu temples are found in Java; for instance, the Siva temples at Dieng and (Idong Songo built by the kings of Sailendra dynasty (8th-9th century A.D.). The group of temples of Lara Jonggrang at Pranbanan (9th or 10th century A.D.), is a magnificent example of Hindu temple architecture. Other temples worth mentioning are: the temple complex at Panataran (java) built by the kings of Majapahit dynasty (14th century A.D.), the rock-cut temple facades at Tampaksiring of Bali (11th century A.D.), the ‘mother’ temple at Besakh of Bali (14th century A.D.), the Chen La temples at Sambor Prei Kuk in Cambodia (7th-8th century A.D.)., the temple of Banteay Srei at Angkor (10th century A.D.) and the celebrated Angkor vat complex (12th century A.D.) built by Surya varman II

Hindu Temples and Shrines of Goa- A Goan Medly

Goa’s temples have a chequered history. With the invasion of Mohammedans, beginning from the 13th century to the Portugese conquer and occupation of the territory in the 16th century most of the Hindu Temples were looted and destroyed. No Hindu temple remained in the Old Conquests of the Portugese. The only surviving temple of the 12th/13th century is in a remote corner at Tambdi Surla. It was a forgotten site and was only rediscovered in the 1930s. This is a Shiva temple built in stone with carvings in traditional Dravida style.
In the 16th century, there is a record to show that the Portugese destroyed over 500 temples and shrines and used the building material for the construction of churches and other buildings. There are some fragments of these temples, like the Adil Shah’s Palace Gate to be found in the premises of St. Cajetan’s church at Old Goa today. The temple records give very little, for the oldest temples located in the New Conquests by flight at the end of the 16th century, were built in the 17th century or later to their present dimensions – and built in direct, if not very well understood copy of the Baroque Christian churches of the city of Old Goa (though the general style of Goa churches is that of Borromini’s Jesuit construction). This is understandable, as the Old Goa churches were the most imposing buildings, with Hindu workmen trained in that type of construction. When the emigre temples acquired funds enough for their rebuildings these same workmen built the new temples. What is surprising is that the replication seems to have been acceptable to the local Brahmins.

Temple records, if any survived the transfer, have generally been destroyed by sloth, vermin, time, the climate and on occasion fear of losing property acquired by encroachment without legal title.It was the Rajas of Sonda to whom the Hindus of Goa had turned when their temples in Goa had been destroyed, and who much to the annoyance of the Portugese, had openly encouraged Hindus to rebuild their temples in their domain of Ponda and elsewhere.
There are no Hindu temples in the Old conquests older than the 19th century. Even in the New conquests, few of the structures themselves were built before the 17th century. So most of the ‘old’ temples we see in Goa date from the 17th century at the earliest and majority from the 18th century.

ARCHITECTURE

Hindu temples in Goa provide yet another example of Goa’s quaint, sequestered identity, developed over the centuries under Portugese influence. Hindu temples did not remain unaffected by the distinct modes of architecture, craftsmanship, and interior decor which developed through four centuries of Portugese influence. Nowhere else in India does one find Hindu temples of Goan kind with church-like domes, doing for the typical tapering shikara or tower of Hindu temple tradition, with bungalow-like pillared porch fronting stepped entrance.
In its Hindu adaptation, the dome of the uniquely Goan temple assumed a more conspicuous profile, with a much smaller finial. The tower, or drum, was made octagonal rather than round and given a raised elevation in some temples, with each stage having lamp niches, columns and an elaborate, multi-moulded entablature.

 

 

 

Sri Kamakshi Temple, Shiroda

 

 

 

The Goan Miliue

 

 

 

“It takes centuries of life to make a little history

and it takes centuries of historyto make a little tradition”
– Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan

The present land of Goa (Circa 2006) is a unique political, social and cultural entity on the west coast of India. Out of the 25 states of the Republic of India, Goa is amongst the smallest and yet, Goa has a special aura of its own that attracts both national and international events, visitors and tourists in great droves. It is a small pocket with an area of only about 3,702 sq. km with a coastline of 104 km. It is bounded by the Arabian sea on the west, the Western Ghats on the east, the state of Maharashtra in the north and the state of Karnataka in the east and the south.

 

 

          Mauxi and Usgalimol Engravings

The first humans, the Homo Sapiens, appeared to have settled in Goa about 100 thousand years ago. The evidence of pre-historic tools and rock engravings in Usgalimal in Sanguem taluka and Mauxi, in Sattari taluka of Goa indicate a primitive culture that belongs to Mesolithic period of the Old Stone Age (10,000 – 5,000 BC). The early settlers were followed around 4,000 BC by the Kharvis and the toddy tappers. The Gauddes and the Kunbis (Kols, Mundas and Ouraons) emerged around 3,000 BC. The Tribal heritage of Goa is represented by the Gauddes, the Kunbis, the Velips and the Gavalys(Dhangars).The tribals represent an admixture of Austric and Dravidian settlers. These primitive people were nature worshippers whose folklore, superstitions and festivals still preserve their reverence for nature – the jungle, the sea, the sacred tree, the seasons, etc.
Local pre-Brahminic priest of Gauddes still continue in places like Kholgar. Most of their deities were absorbed by the Brahminic synthesis. Unabsorbed deities were converted to cacodemons, known generally as devchar but still worshipped by the Gauddes and the lower castes These subordinated semi-devine beings called ‘jagevile’ whose aniconic shrines are situated at various liminal sites, such as way crosses, dams, river banks, sea shores and above all the boundaries of the village territories.

THE HINDU GOA

The first group of Indo-Aryans said to have come by the sea and settled in Goa around 2,500 BC. The Goud Saraswat Brahmins who appeared to havecome in waves, between 700 BC and 500 AD, were the last Indo-Aryans to have settled in Goa, preceded by the Kshatriyas and the Karhade Brahmins.
The name ‘Goa’ or ‘Gomantak’ is an ancient term applied to this region. Mahabharata as well as Skandhapurana refers to it as‘Gomant’. Harivansha Purana makes a reference to it as ‘Gomanchal’ and Sutasamhita mentions ‘Govapuri’. During the time of the Buddha it was termed as ‘Sunaparant’ (Golden Land Beyond).Ptolemy, the Greek geographer (Second century AD) refers to Goa as ‘Kauba’. Arabs and the Persians called it Kuwa or Kawe and later as ‘Sindabur’ ( a corruption of the word ‘Chandrapur’). Goa is believed to have been well-known since the earlyhistory throughout the littoral countries of the Indian Ocean due to its importance as an entrepot.

Shenoy Goembab (Varde Valavlikar)explains the origin of the term ‘Gomantak’as a territory abounding in cattle from the Sanskrit word ‘Go’ meaning cattle.

For more than three millennia right till the end of the fifteenth century Goa was ruled by one or other of the Hindu kings who exercised suzerainty over this part of India, or by local chieftains who were the feudatory of these rulers. Goa was never an independent kingdom and its history up to late 18th century is inextricably meshed with the fortunes of major kingdoms and dynasties which rose and fell in the Deccan. It is two complex and too diffused a period to be telescoped into a brief and intelligible image. However, this vast period ofover three millennia is what built its intrinsically Hindu culture like the rest of India. The basic culture survived the numerous onslaughts and in-roads made by foreign powers beginning in the 14th century. Both the traditions and the culture have outlasted and survived the stormy blasts and violent and cruel periods of the history

Palkhi

Goa as a region, until the late 18th century, had changing boundaries that were constantly in a state of flux. Some historians claim that Goa was a part of the vast Maurya Empire in the third century BC, probably a part of Kuntala or the Banavasi administrative region of northern Karnataka. But in the absence of any material evidence this could be only a legend.The Bhoja dynasty – a feudatory of the Satvahanas (2nd Century BC) which is believed to have ruled from Chandramandala (Chandor), had South Goa, Karwar, Khanapur, Supa and Halyal region under their reign.

‘Rath’ celebration,Veling

The main Kadamba dynasty of Goa appeared to have ruled from 325 AD to 540 AD. They had three capitals. Halsi (Belgaum dist.), Banavasi (North Kanara) and Uchchangi (Bellary dist.). The area comprising Belgaum, Goa, North Kanara, Shimoga, Chitradurga and Bellary districts formed the main Kadamba Kingdomat its zenith. According to some inscriptions Mayurasarma was the founder of the main Kadamba dynasty.
Abhiras, Nagas, Traikotakas, Kshatrapas from Gujarat, Chutus from Karnataka and the Konkan Mauryas held sway over some parts of North and South Goa between the 3rd and the 6th century AD. The Chlukyas of Badami drove the Konkan Mauryas out and ruled Konkan region from 578 – 750 AD.

Kadamba Gold & Copper Coins

Goa came under the Rashtrakuta rule from 750 – 1020 AD and the Shilaharas of Kolhapur who administered as their feudatories. According to some historians, the Rashtrakutas are said to be originally from Goa (Loutulim) but later settled in Maharashtra with Malkhed as their capital. Shilahara king Jaliga had acquired the lordship of Gomantadurga and the territory covered a large area which included part of Ratnagiri up to Kharepatna river in thenorth and extended to Supa, Halyal , Ankola and Belgaum in the south.

Kadambas again became the feudatories of the Chalukyas who re-conquered Goa around 974 AD. Jayakeshi I shifted the capital of Goa to Govapuri or Gopakapattam. Subsequently the Hoysalas conquered Goa and made Kadambas their vassals. In the early 13th century, the Yadavas of Devgiri brought Goa under their reign and the Kadambas continued to be their vassals until 1314 when the Muslims attacked and sacked Govapuri

 Kadamba Emblem

 

THE MOHAMMEDAN EPISODE

Muslim invasions from the north mark the beginning of a new era in the history of Goa. These Muslim forays, though crippling, lacked permanency and hence resulted in the periodic revival of the Kadamba dynasty. Malik Kafur, the General of Allauddin Khilji invaded Goa in the year 1314 AD followed by another attack by Jamal-uddin, Nawab of Honavar with a fleet of 52 vessels as per the directive of the Delhi Sultan Mohamed Bin Tughlaq. Ibn Batuttah, the Moroccan traveller who has left a graphic account of the storming of the capital was, at his own request made the commander of the fleet. This conquest of the muslims finally ended the rule of the Kadambas of Goa. The Mohamadans looted and destroyed the Hindu temples en masse and their rule was nothing short of anarchy which lasted over a period of 50 years.

MADHAV MANTRI

The rise of Vijayanagar Empire helped in liberating Goa from the strangleholdof Muslim rulers. In 1370 AD Harihara I of the Vijaynagar Empire sent MadhavMantri, a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin whose ancestors were from the Shenvi Regefamily of Goa, who vanquished the Muslims and established Vijayanagar rule in south Konkan. As Manohar Malgonkar says in his book ‘InsideGoa’ – “There is no monument in Goato the memory of a man called VasantMadhav, or of another who was called ‘Mai Sinai Waglo’ who was appointed as the Vijayanagar Governor of Goa (1402-1404). No plaque mention their birth places or favourite haunts and no street is named after either”. Madhav Mantri ruled Goa as a Viceroy of Vijaynagar (Govapuradhish) for next twelve years during which periopeace and prosperity prevailed which was centred around the import of Arabsteeds from the Gulf. He made Govapuri the capital of this region.

Madhav Tirtha at Brahmapuri

Among the many temples destroyed by the Bahamanis, Saptakoteshwar Temple was one. Madhav Mantri retrieved the hidden Linga and built a new temple in Divar. He also rebuilt Gomanteshwar temple at Brahmapuri. The only monument that exists today is the temple tank that is called Madhav Tirth near Gomanteshwara Temple at Brahmapuri (near Old Goa). Madhav Mantri was a Vedic scholar, an ardent Shaivite and a patron of learning. He not only restored quite a few of the destroyed temples but revived the tradition of Vedic and Puranic learning by establishing two Brahmapuris.
Peace and prosperity prevailed in Goa during the Vijayanagar reign for the next 100 years during which its harbours were important landing places for Arabian horses imported from Hormuz as well as a flourishing export trade in spices.

In 1472 AD Mohamad Gawan of the Bahamani Sultanate attacked Goa by land and sea and the Vijayanagar governor fled without a fight. Govapuri was completely destroyed with its palaces and temples. Vijayanagar made two attempts to recapture Goa but could not succeed. Bahamani Sultanate disintegrated soon after the take over of Goa and Yusuf Adil Shah of Bijapur brought Goa under his direct control in 1498 AD.

 

 

 

Idalcao Palace, Panaji – Built by Adil Shah of   Bijapur in around 1500 AD