History of Goa: Difference between revisions

Archaeological evidence in the form of polished stone axes, suggest the first settlements of Neolithic man in Goa.<ref name=axe>{{cite book|last=De Souza|first=Teotonio R.|title=Goa to me|year=1994|publisher=Concept Publishing Company,|isbn= 9788170225041|pages=176 pages (see page 33)}}</ref> These axes have been found in [[Goa Velha]].<ref name=velha>{{cite book|title=Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu: district gazetteer, Volume 1 Gazetteer of India Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu: District Gazetteer, Goa, Daman and Diu (India). Gazetteer Dept|year=1979|publisher=Gazetteer Dept., Govt. of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu,|location=Goa|pages=57}}</ref> During this period tribes of [[Austric]] origin such as the ''Kols'', ''Mundaris'' and ''Kharvis'' may have settled Goa, living on hunting, fishing and a primitive form of agriculture since 3500 BC.<ref name=axe /> According to Goan historian Anant Ramakrishna Dhume, the [[Gauda and Kunbi]] and other such castes are modern descendants of ancient Mundari tribes. Dhume notes several words of Mundari origin in the [[Konkani language]]. He describes the deities worshipped by the ancient tribes, their customs, methods of farming, and its overall effect on modern-day Goan culture.<ref name=dhume>{{cite book|last=Dhume|first=Anant Ramkrishna|title=The cultural history of Goa from 10000 B.C.-1352 A.D.|year=1986|publisher=Ramesh Anant S. Dhume|pages=355 pages (see pages 53, 94, 83, 95)}}</ref> The [[Negroid race|Negroids]] were in a Neolithic stage of primitive culture and were food-gatherers. Traces of Negroid physical characteristics can be found in parts of Goa, up to at least the middle of the first millennium.<ref name=dhume />

 

 

During this period, the people began worship of a mother goddess in the form of [[anthill]] or ''Santer''. The Anthill is called ''Roen''([[Konkani language|Konkani]]:रोयण), which is derived from the Austric word ''Rono,'' meaning with holes. The later Indo-Aryan and Dravidian settlers also adopted anthill worship, which was translated into Prakrit ''Santara''. They also worshipped the mother earth by the name of ''Bhumika'' in Prakrit. Anthill worship still continues in Goa.<ref name="dhume"/>

===The Mauryas===

{{main|Mauryan empire}}

 

[[Chandragupta Maurya]] incorporated the west coast of India in his province of [[Aparanta]], and the impact of [[Magadhi|Magadhan Prakrit]], the official language of the Mauryan Empire, on the local dialects resulted in the formation of early [[Konkani language|Konkani]], as was the case with other Aryan vernaculars. During this era [[Buddhism]] was introduced to Goa. Similarly a native Goan named Purna, also known as Punna in [[Pali]], who traveled to [[Sarnath]] is considered a direct disciple of [[Buddha]], who popularised Buddhism in Goa in 5th century BC.<ref name=maurya />

 

In 1556 the [[printing press]] was first introduced to India and Asia at [[Saint Paul's College, Goa|Saint Paul's College]] in Goa; through the spread of the printing press, Goa led the acceleration of the availability of the knowledge and customs of Europe.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/1366156/An_exploration_of_the_role_of_Portugal_in_the_economic_integration_of_Asia_and_Europe_with_a_focus_on_the_pepper_market]</ref><ref>http://goamuseum.gov.in/collections.html?group=14</ref><ref>[http://www.goaprintingpress.gov.in/about-us Goa Printing Press]</ref> After getting established in Goa, the Jesuits introduced the printing press technology for the first time in history into Macau-China in 1588 and into Japan in 1590.<ref>''The Portuguese Empire, 1415-1808: A World on the Move'', By A. J. R. Russell-Wood, p. 204</ref>

 

The Crown in Lisbon undertook to finance missionary activity; missionaries and priests converted large numbers of people in all spheres of society, especially in Goa.<ref>''Pilgrims to the Light: Encounters in a Shared Destiny'', edited by Valson Thampu. Har-Anand Publications, 2000. p. 131 ({{ISBN|8124106436}}, 9788124106433).</ref> St Francis Xavier in Goa, pioneered the establishment of a seminary, called [[Saint Paul's College, Goa|Saint Paul's College]]. It was the first Jesuit headquarters in Asia.<ref>''The Jesuits: Cultures, Sciences, and the Arts, 1540-1773'', edited by John W. O'Malley, p. 480</ref><ref>http://touristplacesofindia.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/page/4/ http://touristplacesofindia.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/page/4/http://gogoa.net/secret_of_st_francis.htm</ref><ref>http://touristplacesofindia.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/page/4/</ref> St Francis founded the College to train Jesuit missionaries. He went to the Far East, traveling towards China. Missionaries of the Jesuit Order spread out through India, going as far north as the court of the great Moghul Emperor Jallaluddin [[Akbar]]. Having heard about the Jesuits, he invited them to come and teach him and his children about Christianity.<ref>'Pilgrims to the Light: Encounters in a Shared Destiny'', edited by Valson Thampu. Har-Anand Publications (2000). p. 132 ({{ISBN|8124106436}}, 9788124106433).</ref>

From Goa, the [[Jesuit order]] was able to set up base almost anywhere in Asia for evangelistic missions, including the founding of [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] colleges, universities and faculties of education. Jesuits are known for their work in education, intellectual research, and cultural pursuits, and for their missionary efforts. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes, and promote social justice and ecumenical dialogue.;<ref name="Society of Jesus">[http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/9650]</ref> Saint Paul's College Goa was a base for their evangelisation of Macau, and then for their important missionary campaigns into China and Japan. Macau eventually superseded St Paul's College, Goa. They built [[St. Paul's College, Macau|St Paul College]] in 1594 (now the University of Macau), known in Latin as the college of ''Mater Dei''.<ref name="Nunez">''Macao's Church of Saint Paul: A Glimmer of the Baroque in China'' By César Guillén Nuñez. Hong Kong University Press. (2009). p. 70. ({{ISBN|962209922X}}, 9789622099227)</ref> Because of state conflicts with the Jesuits, In 1762 the [[Marques de Pombal|Marquês de Pombal]] expelled the order from Macau.<ref>''Education and Society in Hong Kong and Macao:Comparative Perspectives on Continuity and Change;'' Volume 7 of CERC Studies in Comparative Education. By M. Bray, Ramsey Koo ({{ISBN|1402034059}}, 9781402034053) p. 113.114</ref> The Macau university combined evangelisation with education.<ref name="Nunez" />

 

 

 

The [[Goa Inquisition]] was the office of the Inquisition acting within the Indian state of Goa and the rest of the Portuguese empire in Asia. It was established in 1560, briefly suppressed from 1774–1778, and finally abolished in 1812. The Goan Inquisition is considered a blot on the history of Roman Catholic Christianity in India by both Christians and non-Christians alike. Based on the records that survive, H. P. Salomon and I. S. D. Sassoon state that between the Inquisition's beginning in 1561 and its temporary abolition in 1774, some 16,202 persons were brought to trial. Of this number, only 57 were sentenced to death and executed; another 64 were burned in effigy. Most were subjected to lesser punishments or penances.