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.
History of Goa 