Goa (state)
Goa is a state (since 1987) of India, situated on the south-west coast, with an area of 3702 km2 and a population of 1.35 million. The state comprises of a mainland district on the country's western coast and an offshore island. It is located 400 kilometres south of Bombay. It is bounded by the states of Maharashtra on the north and Karnataka on the east and south and by the Arabian Sea on the west. The state capital is Panaji, also called Panjim; the name may be derived from the local name for great-grandmother, "ponji".Goa has a coastline of 65 miles. It is hilly towards the east and includes a portion of the Western Ghats rising to nearly 4,000 feet. The two largest rivers are the Mandavi and Zuari.
Goa is predominantly agricultural, with rice, fruits, coconuts, pulses (legumes), cashews, and betel (areca) nuts the leading crops. The state exports a number of these commodities, along with spices, manganese and iron ores, bauxite, fish, and salt; its trade is small but its manufacturers produce fertilizers, sugar, textiles, chemicals, iron pellets, and pharmaceuticals. The tourist industry developed rapidly in the late 20th century.
Marmagao (formerly Murgao) is sheltered by a promontory and outfitted with a natural breakwater. It is the best major port between Bombay and Calicut (Kozhikode). A railway connects it with the main southern line by way of Castle Rock (in Karnataka) on the Western Ghats. It is also connected to the Konkan railway at Margao Junction. The Port is India's largest exporter of Iron Ore, by way of mines in the state, and those in the surrounding hinterland areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Mormugao Port Trust, that handles the port, is the largest employer of Goa.
The ancient Hindu city of Goa, of which hardly a fragment survives, was built at the southernmost point of the island, and it was famous in early Hindu legend and history. In the Puranas and certain inscriptions, the name of the place appears as Gove, Govapuri, and Gomant. It has also been known as Aprant. The medieval Arabian geographers knew it as Sindabur, or Sandabur, and the Portuguese as Goa. When the capital was transferred to "Nova Goa" or New Goa (today's Panaji), the old capital came to be known as "Velha Goa" or Old Goa.
The region still retains many features from the period of Portuguese rule, including Catholic churches. A majority of these churches were built on top of Hindu temples that were razed during the inquisition of Goa in the 16th century. Few artifacts remain from those ancient temples, the most famous being the headless "Nandi" bull of the preexisting Shiva temple, that is situated outsize the Chandor church.
The local language is Konkani, an Indo-European language related to Hindi and Marathi. It is spoken by 1.5 to 2 million people in Goa and the Konkan coast. Few Goans speak Portuguese now (3 to 5%), although the language lives on in place names and some family names. English is the most widely spoken foreign language, and shops in tourist areas invariably have signs in English. Some shops also have signs in Hebrew or Finnish.
View northwards of Fort Aguada, south of Baga
The region is famous for its excellent white sand beaches, and in the 1960s was a popular destination on the hippie trail. Goa trance music originated here and became popular as a result of the hippie culture. Today the region has a booming tourist industry, and many large hotels have been built in the last twenty years.
Goa has a long history stretching back to the 3rd century BC, when it formed part of the Mauryan empire. It was later ruled by the Satavahans of Kolhapur at the beginning of the Christian era and eventually passed to the Chalukyans of Badami, who controlled it from 580 to 750 AD. Over the next few centuries it was ruled successively by the Shilharas, the Kadambas and the Chalukyans of Kalyani. The Kadambas are credited with constructing the first settlement on the site of Old Goa in the middle of the 11th century, when it was called Thorlem Gorem.
Goa fell to the Muslims for the first time in 1312, but they were forced to evacuate it in 1370 by Harihara I of the Vijayanagar empire whose capital was at Hampi in Karnataka state. The Vijayanagar rulers held on to Goa for nearly 100 years, during which its harbours were important landing places for Arabian horses on their way to Hampi to strengthen the Vijaynagar cavalry. In 1469, however, Goa was reconquered, this time by the Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga. When this dynasty broke up, the area passed to Adil Shahis of Bijapur, who made Goa Velhaa their second capital. The present Secretariat building in Panaji is the former palace of Adil Shah, later taken over by the Portuguese Viceroys as their official residence.
After a millennium of relatively stable Hindu rule, two centuries of alternating Hindu and Muslim dynasties ended in Goa's conquest by the Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, after having been unable to secure a base on the Malabar coast further south. This was due to opposition from the Zamorin of Calicut and stiff competition from the Turks who, at that time, controlled the trade routes across the Indian Ocean.. After losing the city briefly to its former ruler, the Muslim king of Bijapur, Albuquerque returned in force, massacring the Muslim inhabitants.
Goa had become important as a starting-point of Muslim pilgrims from India to Mecca, as a mart with no rival except Calicut on India's west coast, and especially as the centre of the import trade in horses (Gulf Arabs) from Hormuz, the control of which was a vital matter to the kingdoms warring in the Deccan. The Portuguese were also bent on their quest for control of the spice route from the east and the spread of Christianity. It was easily defensible by any power with command of the sea, as the encircling rivers could only be forded at one spot, and had been deliberately stocked with crocodiles. For a while their control was limited to a small area around Old Goa, by the middle of the 16th century it had expanded to include Bardez and Salcete.
As Portugal's first territorial possession in Asia, Goa was the base for Albuquerque's conquest of Malacca (1511) and Hormuz (1515). Albuquerque intended it to be a colony and a naval base, as distinct from the fortified factories established in certain Indian seaports. He encouraged his men to marry local women, and to settle in Goa as farmers, retail traders or artisans.
These married men soon became a privileged caste, and Goa acquired a large Eurasian population. Goa became the capital of the whole Portuguese empire in the East. It was granted the same civic privileges as Lisbon. Its senate or municipal chamber maintained direct communications with the king and paid a special representative to attend to its interests at court. In 1563 the governor even proposed to make Goa the seat of a parliament, in which all parts of the Portuguese east were to be represented; this was vetoed by the king.
In 1542 St. Francis Xavier mentions the architectural splendour of the city; but it reached the climax of its prosperity between 1575 and 1625. Travellers marvelled at Goa Dourada, or Golden Goa, and there was a Portuguese proverb, "He who has seen Goa need not see Lisbon."
Merchandise from all parts of the East was displayed in its bazaar, and separate streets were set aside for the sale of different classes of goods–Bahrain pearls and coral, Chinese porcelain and silk, Portuguese velvet and piece-goods, drugs and spices from the Malay Archipelago.
In the main street slaves were sold by auction. The houses of the rich were surrounded by gardens and palm groves; they were built of stone and painted red or white. Instead of glass, their balconied windows had thin polished oyster-shells set in lattice-work. The social life of Goa's rulers befitted the headquarters of the viceregal court, the army and navy, and the church; luxury and ostentation becoming a byword before the end of the 16th century.
Almost all manual labour was done by slaves; common soldiers assumed high-sounding titles, and it was even customary for the poor noblemen who congregated together in boarding-houses to subscribe for a few silken cloaks, a silken umbrella and a common man-servant, so that each could take his turn to promenade the streets, fashionably attired and with a proper escort.
There were huge gambling salons, licensed by the municipality, where determined players lodged for weeks together; and every form of vice, except drunkenness, was practised by both sexes, although European women were forced to lead a kind of zenana life of seclusion, and never ventured unveiled into the streets; they even attended church in their palanquins, so as to avoid observation.
Albuquerque and his successors left almost untouched the customs and constitutions of the thirty village communities on the island, only abolishing the rite of sati (widow-burning). A register of these customs (Foral de usos e costumes) was published in 1526, and is an historical document of much value; an abstract of it is given in R. S. Whiteway's Rise of the Portuguese Empire in India (London, 1898).
The appearance of the Dutch in Indian waters was followed by the gradual ruin of Goa. In 1603 and 1639 the city was blockaded by Dutch fleets, though never captured, and in 1635 it was ravaged by an epidemic.
Its trade was gradually monopolized by the Jesuits. Jean de Thévenot in 1666, Baldaeus in 1672, Fryer in 1675 describe its ever-increasing poverty and decay. In 1683 only the timely appearance of a Mughal army saved it from capture by the Marathas, and in 1739 the whole territory was attacked by the same enemies, and only saved by the unexpected arrival of a new viceroy with a fleet. This peril was always imminent until 1759, when a peace with the Marathas was concluded.
In the same year the viceroy transferred his residence from the vicinity of Goa city to New Goa (in Portuguese Nova Goa), today's Panaji, which became the official seat of government in 1843, effecting a move which had been discussed as early as 1684. Old Goa city's population fell steeply during the 18th century as Europeans moved to the new city.
Similar unrecorded battles have been fought in most of the villages and settlements all around Goa. This finally led to the stopping of the inquisition, and Goa remained peaceful under the Portuguese, though suppressed, and forced to study in either Portuguese language or Marathi language of neighbouring Maharashtra.
A lot of people fled the inquisition and suppression, and there are large Goan colonies in Karwar and Mangalore in Karnataka.
India's independence revamped the resistance groups that were operating in and around the territory. In 1955 an unarmed invasion was launched by a mass of Indians satyagrahis, following the teachings of Gandhi. The Portuguese met them with force and 21 were reported killed.
In the 1960s the World Court and the United Nations General Assembly both ruled in India's favour in the dispute. World public opinion was also turning against Portugal due to their brutal actions in Angola. The United States, however, remained supportive of its NATO ally and would not allow the UN Security Council to rule against Portugal.
The Indians offered continued special treatment for the Portuguese in Goa and protection of the area's distinct culture, but still the Portuguese refused to negotiate. This was mostly out of concern for the situation in Angola, where any concessions in Goa would weaken Portugal's colonial hold.
In December 1961 India, under pressure from public opinion, and foreign pressure from the rest of the third world to oppose colonialism, moved into Goa. Twenty Indians and 17 Portuguese were killed in the fighting, which lasted twenty-six hours. A famous telegram was sent to a newspaper correspondent at the time – the single word "Goa?". He replied, "Gone" – surely setting a record for brevity! Goa became an Indian Union Territory, and later a state, in 1987.
After annexation the area was under military rule for five months, but the previous civil service was soon restored and the area became a federally administered territory.
There still remain a lot of virgin beaches, where one can find peace, as well as beautiful islands like Divar and St. Jacinto island.
Tourism was adversely affected in the couple of years following the September 11 attacks.
Birdwatching is another attraction for tourists. With a huge array of birds in a small province, Goa is an easy introduction to Asian birding. The respect for life that is part of the local culture means that most wildlife is very approachable. The Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Kumbharjuem is one of India's famous bird sanctuaries and is a major stopping point for the Great Siberian Cranes on their journey from the North to warmer areas and back.
Ancient History
Mahabharata refers to Goa as Goparashtra, ‘a nation of cowherds or of nomadic tribes’. Parshuram, the Hindu god, according to legend, flung his arrow on the coast aud made the waters recede, thus founding the Konkan. The Southern Konkan was called Govarashtra. In ancient Indian texts in Sanskrit she is also known as Gopakapuri or Gapakapattana. This only corroborates the idea that Goa was a very prosperous State, since cattle was the criterion of wealth. The name Gomant for Goa also occurs in the said Indian epic Mahabharata and in the sacred Hindu texts like Harivansa and Skanda as well. In the latter, Goa is even known as Gomanchala. They equally refer to her as Govapuri. Suta Sanhita, an Indian classic, for instance, has a revealing passage: “To the north of Gokarn is a 'kshetra' with seven 'yojanas' in circumference: therein is situated Govapuri, which destroys all sins. The sight of Govapuri destroys the sin committed in a previous existence, as at sunrise darkness disappears. Even by making up his mind to bathe once in Govapuri one attains a high place (in the next world). Certainly there is no 'kshetra' equal to Govapuri.”Portuguese India
Early Freedom Movement
The first armed battle of independence of Goa from the Portuguese was fought by the Desais of Cuncolim in c1539. The battle ended when the Portuguese brutally killed the chieftains after calling them to formulate a peace pact at Assolna. This was followed by the Portuguese confiscating the land of the locals refusing to convert to Christianity. The idol of the village goddess Shantadurga, was shifted to an area outside the Portuguese control, deep in the forests of Fatorpa. In the present day, an annual festival Sattreo is celebrated by both the Hindus and Catholics alike, in an outstanding example of syncreticism. After the Independence of India
When India became independent in 1947, Goa remained Portuguese. The Indian government of Jawaharlal Nehru insisted that it, along with a few other minor Portuguese holdings, be turned over to India. Portugal, however, refused. France, which had also had small enclaves in India (most notably Pondicherry), gave them up. Portugal, however, amended its constitution to have Goa made a Portuguese province and refused to surrender it.Tourism in Goa
View southwards of the Goan coastlineExternal links