| Located on the west coast in the Konkan region, Goa | | | | the hands of the Portuguese in 1510 led by |
| is the smallest state of India. It is bounded by the state | | | | Albuquerque. Constantly being fought for an occupied, |
| of Maharashtra to the north and by Karnataka to the | | | | Goa was always prized territory due to its ports and |
| east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its | | | | active trade. It seems that Portuguese had a longer |
| western coast. Goa was the first part of India that | | | | hold on it compared to other colonisers. Ironically, it was |
| was colonized by Europeans and also the last to be | | | | the Portuguese who gave Goa its name. Before they |
| liberated & is better known to the world as the | | | | arrived on the scene, Goa, or Gove or Gowapura, |
| former Portuguese enclave on Indian soil. In the past it | | | | was the name only of the port town near the mouth |
| was known as Govapuri, Gomant or Aprant. The | | | | of the Mandovi River. This was also the same site on |
| Arab sailors knew it as Sindabur, or Sandabur, and the | | | | which the Portuguese later built their capital, today's Old |
| Portuguese as Goa. During the occupation of the | | | | Goa classically known as Velha Goa. |
| Portuguese it acquired the epithets of the 'Rome of | | | | The beginnings of transformation of Goan politics |
| Asia' and 'Pearl of the Orient'. About 77 miles (125 KM) | | | | began when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da |
| of the Goan coast line is dotted with beaches. These | | | | Gama landed in Calicut, in present day Kerala in 1498. |
| beaches are divided into North Goa and South Goa | | | | This discovery and the establishment of a new sea |
| Beaches. Little wonder, it was also called the 'Goa | | | | route to India around the Cape of Good Hope gave an |
| Dourada' or 'Golden Goa' sands. | | | | impetus to the Portuguese who wanted very much to |
| Though renowned in the world for its clean & | | | | exploit it to their advantage and profit from it. As a |
| safe beaches and rave parties, it also has a historical | | | | result of the discovery of the maritime route to India by |
| pedigree marked by its world heritage monuments, | | | | da Gama, communications between Goa and Europe |
| ancient worship house like temples, churches etc. With | | | | and other cities of India began to grow. |
| many tourists both national and international visiting it, | | | | The merchandise which Vasco da Gama took on his |
| predominantly for beach& party-tourism, many do | | | | return journey fetched him sixty times the purchase |
| take time out to check out its cultural & historical | | | | price, after deducting the cost of the journey. This |
| attractions. It is this combination of fun & culture | | | | lucrative trade was captured from the Arabs by the |
| that gives Goa its unique identity. | | | | Portuguese. Yet when trade compulsions won over |
| Brief History: | | | | political short-sightedness, exports from Goa had |
| Though perceptionally Goa's glory has been | | | | already widened to comprise black pepper, cinnamon, |
| associated with the Portuguese occupation, its | | | | cardamom, Gujarati and Bengali cloth, Chinese furniture, |
| grandeur predated the colonisers. Kings and other | | | | wax, ginger and cloves. These were imported into |
| rulers from a host of Indian dynasties had made this | | | | Goa from other sources in the country and |
| little jewel glitter with royal pomp. In ancient literature, | | | | re-exported. Imports from Portugal included woolen |
| Goa was known by many names such as Gomanta, | | | | and linen cloth, edible items, liquor, and arms and |
| Gomanchala, Gopakapattam, Gopakapuri, Govapuri, | | | | ammunition. On the other hand, its control of the seas |
| Govem, and Gomantak. The Indian epic Mahabharata | | | | and above all the lucrative spice trade made it a |
| refers to the area now known as Goa, as | | | | much-coveted prize for rival colonial powers. |
| Goparashtra or Govarashtra which means a nation of | | | | The prosperity of Portugal and its traders could be |
| cowherds. Gopakapuri or Gopakapattanam were | | | | assured only by the establishment of a permanent |
| used in some ancient Sanskrit texts, and these names | | | | trading post. The inability of the Portuguese to do that |
| were also mentioned in other sacred Hindu texts such | | | | along the Malabar Coast (controlled by the powerful |
| as the Harivansa and the Skanda Purana. In the latter, | | | | Zamorin of Calicut) of India prompted them to try their |
| Goa is also known as Gomanchala. | | | | luck northwards along the coast. In 1510, Portuguese |
| Parashurambhoomi is a name that the region is | | | | admiral Afonso de Albuquerque attacked Goa at the |
| referred to in certain inscriptions and texts such as the | | | | behest of the local chieftain Thimayya. In 1510 under |
| Puranas. In the third century BCE, Goa was known as | | | | the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque they laid |
| Aparantha, and is mentioned by the Greek geographer | | | | siege upon Goa, then under Sultan Adil Shah of Bijapur. |
| Ptolemy. The Greeks referred to Goa as Nelkinda or | | | | On February 17th he entered the city of Goa for the |
| Nelcynda in the 13th century. Some other historical | | | | first time and met little resistance as the Sultan was |
| names for Goa are Sindapur, Sandabur, and | | | | engaged with his forces elsewhere. Sultan Adil Shah |
| Mahassapatam. | | | | soon came after him with a vengeance and on May |
| This earliest reclamation of land in the region was by | | | | 23rd 1510 Alfonso de Albuquerque had to flee the city |
| the Saraswat Brahmins. This incident also provides the | | | | of Goa. Determined to win it for good, Alfonso de |
| basis of a very popular theory of origin of Goa. This | | | | Albuquerque made another attempt a few months |
| community was called the Saraswats because their | | | | later. This time his timing could not have been more |
| origins have been associated to the banks of the | | | | than perfect. Sultan Adil Shah had just died and the |
| River Saraswati, a mythical river that predominantly | | | | heir to the throne was the infant Ismail Adil Shah. Thus |
| existed in the minds of the inhabitants of India from the | | | | Goa was won by Albuquerque because he was at |
| Vedic times. According to legends, this river Saraswati | | | | the right place at the right time. |
| subsequently dried up causing large scale migration of | | | | The Portuguese set up a permanent base in Goa in |
| this group of Brahmins to all corners of India. | | | | their quest to control the spice trade now known as |
| A group of ninety-six families, known today as Gaud | | | | Velha Goa or old Goa. The former Secretariat building |
| Saraswats, settled along the Konkan coast in and | | | | in Panaji is a former Adil Shahi palace, later taken over |
| around contemporary Goa somewhere around 1000 | | | | by the Portuguese Viceroys as their official residence. |
| BC. According to Hindu legends strongly prevalent in | | | | This was symbolic of the transfer of power. The |
| the South Indian region, Parashurama (the warrior-sage | | | | territories of Ilhas, Salcette, Mormugao and Bardez |
| and an incarnation of God Vishnu) flung his axe into | | | | formed part of the Portugal's "Velhas Conquestas" or |
| the sea and commanded the Sea God to recede up | | | | Old Conquests, and formed only one fifth of the total |
| to the point where his axe landed. The new piece of | | | | area of modern Goa. By this time, Goa became the |
| land thus recovered came to be known as "Konkan" | | | | jewel of Portugal's eastern empire. Merchandise from |
| meaning "piece of earth" or "corner of earth" (Kona | | | | all parts of the East was displayed in its bazaar, and |
| (corner) + kana (piece)). This was done for settling | | | | separate streets were set aside for the sale of |
| these displaced people. The Saraswat Brahmins | | | | different classes of goods-Bahrain pearls and coral, |
| settled in three islands in the estuary of the Zuari and | | | | Chinese porcelain and silk, Portuguese velvet and |
| Mandovi rivers. The Mahabharata refers to Goa as | | | | piece-goods, drugs and spices from the Malay |
| Gomanta Kingdom or Goparashtra, "a nation of | | | | Archipelago. |
| cowherds or of nomadic tribes". Brahmanas were | | | | Goa also became the base for Albuquerque's |
| predominantly pastoral people and their prized | | | | conquest of Malacca (1511) and Hormuz (1515). |
| possession was cows. | | | | Albuquerque intended it to be a colony and a naval |
| Goa's recorded history stretches back to the third | | | | base, as distinct from the fortified factories established |
| century BCE, when it formed part of the Mauryan | | | | in certain Indian seaports. Goa was made capital of |
| Empire, ruled by the famous emperor Ashoka. He is | | | | the Portuguese Vice-Kingdom in Asia, and the other |
| famous for his eschewal of violence and conversion | | | | Portuguese possessions in India, Malacca and other |
| to Buddhism after witnessing bloodshed at the battle | | | | bases in Indonesia, East Timor, the Persian Gulf, Macau |
| of Kalinga (now the modern state of Orissa) in 261 BC. | | | | in China and trade bases in Japan were under the |
| The region also ruled by ancient Hindu Dynasties of | | | | suzerainty of its Viceroy. By mid-16th century, the area |
| Satavahanas, Yadavas, Chalukyas of Badami, | | | | under occupation had expanded to most of |
| Rashtrakutas, and Kadambas etc. These rulers | | | | present-day limits. |
| patronised Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Jainism etc. | | | | In 1843 the capital was moved to Panjim from Velha |
| The Kadambas are credited with constructing the first | | | | Goa. After India gained independence from the British |
| settlement on the site of Old Goa in the middle of the | | | | in 1947, Portugal refused to negotiate with India on the |
| 11th century. The Kadambas ruled Goa for two and | | | | transfer of sovereignty of their Indian enclaves. On 12 |
| half centuries until its conquest by Mahmud Gavan on | | | | December 1961, the Indian army commenced with |
| behalf of his Bahmani master. | | | | Operation Vijay resulting in the annexation of Goa, |
| In the thirteenth century, the region came under the | | | | Daman and Diu into the Indian union. Goa, along with |
| influence of the Delhi Sultanate. The Delhi Sultanate | | | | Daman and Diu was made into a centrally |
| had its locus in Delhi and the northern region of India | | | | administered Union Territory of India. On 30 May 1987, |
| and thus their political control over Goa wasn't strong | | | | the Union Territory was split, and Goa was made |
| enough. It may be apt to state that the mandate was | | | | India's twenty-fifth state, with Daman and Diu remaining |
| snatched by the rulers of Vijayanagara Empire & | | | | Union Territories. |
| Hindu rule was restored in Goa. The Vijayanagara | | | | The architecture of Goa is a combination of Indian, |
| rulers held their sway over Goa for nearly 100 years, | | | | Mughal and Portuguese styles. Since the Portuguese |
| during which its harbors that were important landing | | | | ruled for four centuries, many churches and houses |
| places for Arabian horses were expanded. The | | | | bear a striking element of the Fantastic Italian |
| mighty Vijayanagara Empire was brought to its heels | | | | architecture typically renaissance modeled on |
| after being attacked by a Muslim confederacy. Its | | | | architectural details from the churches circled the city's |
| defeat in the battle of Talikota resulted in its total | | | | skyline. The Portuguese influence and local strains |
| destruction and division of its wealth between the | | | | have also created a cultural mix which is different |
| victors. Goa passed into the hands of the Bahmani | | | | from the rest of India. Western and regional cultural |
| sultans of Gulbarga. In 1492, the Bahmani Kingdom | | | | mixing has resulted in a unique blend of different |
| itself split into five kingdoms, namely Bidar, Berar, | | | | religions and cultures in the State. The festival of music |
| Ahmednagar, Golconda and Bijapur. One of the | | | | and dance Shigmo Mel signifies unity in diversity. |
| kingdoms namely Bijapur (which was the capital of the | | | | Besides Shigmo, festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi |
| territory) included Goa and was ruled by Sultan Yusuf | | | | (Chavoth-Konkani), Diwali, Christmas, Easter, Samsar |
| Adil Shah Khan. | | | | Padvo, and the Carnival are also celebrated in by the |
| The Portuguese: | | | | people of Goa. Goa is also known for its New Year's |
| The territory of Goa passed from Muslim rulers into | | | | celebrations. |