Prehistory The prehistoric region consisting of Modern Goa and some parts of Konkan adjoining Goa were inhabited by the
Homo sapiens in
Upper Paleolithic and
Mesolithic phase i.e. 8000–6000 BC. The rock engraving in many places along the coast has proven the existence of hunter-gathers. Nothing much is known about these earliest settlers. Figures of
mother goddess and many other motifs have been recovered which do not really shed light on the ancient culture and language. Traces of
Shamanic religion have been found in Goa. It is believed that tribes of
Austric origin like
Kols,
Mundaris,
Kharvis may have settled Goa and Konkan during the
Neolithic period, living on hunting, fishing and a primitive form of agriculture since 3500 BC. According to Goan historian
Anant Ramakrishna Dhume, the
Gauda and Kunbi and other such castes are modern descendants of ancient Mundari tribes. In his work he mentions several words of Mundari origin in the Konkani language. He also elaborates on the deities worshiped by the ancient tribes, their customs, methods of farming and its overall impact on modern day Konkani society. They were in a Neolithic stage of primitive culture, and they were food-gatherers rather. Agriculture was not fully developed at this stage, and was just shaping up. The Kols and Mundaris might have been using stone and wood implements as iron implements were used by the
megalithic tribes as late as 1200 BC. During this period worship of mother goddess in the form of
anthill or
Santer, was started. Anthill is called as
Roen (Konkani:रोयण), this word has been derived from the Austric word
Rono meaning with holes. The later Indo-Aryan and Dravidian settlers also adopted anthill worship, which was translated to
Santara in Prakrit by them. They were known to speak the earliest form of
Prakrit or
Vedic Sanskrit vernacular. This migration of the
northerners is mainly attributed to the drying up of the
Sarasvati River in
Northern India. Many historians claim only
Gaud Saraswat Brahmins and few of the other Brahmins to be their descendants. This hypothesis is not authoritative according to some. Balakrishna Dattaram Kamat Satoskar a renowned Goan Indologist and historian, in his work
Gomantak prakruti ani sanskruti, Volume I explains that the original
Sarasvat tribe consisted of people of all the folds who followed the
Vedic fourfold system and not just
Brahmins, as the caste system was not fully developed then, and did not play an important role.(see
Gomantak prakruti ani sanskruti, Volume I). The second wave of Indo-Aryans occurred sometime between 1700 and 1450 BC. This second wave migration was accompanied by
Dravidians from the Deccan plateau. A wave of
Kusha or
Harappan people a
Lothal probably around 1600 BC to escape submergence of their civilisation which thrived on sea-trade. The advent of
Western Satrap rulers also led to many
Scythian migrations, which later gave its way to the
Bhoja kings. The Yadava Bhojas patronised Buddhism and settled many Buddhist converts of Greek and
Persian origin. The
Abhirs,
Chalukyas,
Rashtrakutas,
Shilaharas ruled the then Konkan-Goa for several years which was responsible for many changes in the society. Later The powerful
Kadambas of Goa, came to power. During their rule, the society underwent radical transition. Close contact with the
Arabs,
Turks, introduction of
Jainism, patronising
Shaivism, use of
Sanskrit and
Kannada, the overseas trade had an overwhelming impact on the people.
13th–19th century AD '', the second
Peshwa of the
Maratha Empire, was a Konkani and belonged to the
Chitpavan community
Turkic rule In 1350CE, Goa was conquered by the
Bahmani Sultanate of
Turkic origin. However, in 1370, the
Vijayanagara Empire, a resurgent Hindu empire situated at modern day
Hampi, reconquered the area. The Vijayanagara 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 Vijayanagara cavalry. In 1469, however, Goa was reconquered, by the
Bahmani Sultans. When this dynasty broke up in 1492, Goa became a part of Adil Shah's
Bijapur Sultanate, who made
Goa Velha their second capital.
Portuguese rule of Goa The
Portuguese conquest of Goa occurred in 1510 under the leadership of
Afonso de Albuquerque and with the assistance of the local Hindus led by
Timoji. The
Christianisation of Goa and its simultaneous Lusitanisation soon followed. The
Goa Inquisition was established in 1560, briefly suppressed from 1774 to 1778, and finally abolished in 1812. Its main aim was to investigate
New Christians for
heresy, and to preserve the Catholic faith.
Crypto-Jews who emigrated to Goa from the
Iberian Peninsula to escape the
Spanish Inquisition and the
Portuguese Inquisition, were the main cause behind the launch of the Goa Inquisition. Some 16,202 persons were brought to trial by the Inquisition. 57 were sentenced to death and executed in person, another 64 were burned in effigy. Of these, 105 of them were men and 16 women. The rest of those convicted were subjected to lesser punishments or penanced. Those sentenced to various punishments totaled 4,046, out of whom 3,034 were men and 1,012 were women. Seventy-one
autos da fe were recorded. In the first few years alone, over 4000 people were arrested. According to the
Chronista de Tissuary (Chronicles of
Tiswadi), the last auto da fe was held in Goa on 7 February 1773. In 1567, the campaign of destroying temples in Bardez was completed after the majority of the local Hindus had converted to Christianity. At the end of it, 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. Laws were enacted from 4 December 1567 prohibiting the public performance of Hindu rituals such as marriages, sacred thread wearing and cremation. All persons above 15 years of age were compelled to listen to Christian preaching, failing which they were punished. In 1583, Hindu temples at
Assolna and
Cuncolim were also destroyed by the Portuguese after the majority of the locals had converted. The remaining few Hindus who wanted to keep their Hindu religion did so, by emigrating to the neighbouring territories that continued to be ruled by Bijapur, where these Hindus again had to pay
jizya tax.
Impact on culture and language Konkani language had originally been studied and
Roman Konkani promoted by Catholic missionaries in Goa (e.g.
Thomas Stephens) as a communication medium during the 16th century. The
Maratha threat was compounded by their attacks on native Catholics and destruction of local churches during their repeated attacks on Goa in the 17th century. This led the Portuguese government to initiate a positive programme for the suppression of Konkani in Goa, in order to make native Catholic Goans identify fully with the Portuguese Empire. As a result, Konkani was suppressed and rendered unprivileged in Goa by the enforcement of Portuguese. Urged by the
Franciscans, the Portuguese viceroy forbade the use of Konkani on 27 June 1684 and further decreed that within three years, the local people in general would speak the
Portuguese language and use it in all their contacts and contracts made in Portuguese territories. The penalties for violation would be imprisonment. The decree was confirmed by the king on 17 March 1687. Hindu and Catholic elites turned to Marathi and Portuguese, respectively. Ironically, Konkani is at present the 'cement' that binds all Goans across caste, religion and class and is affectionately termed
Konkani Mai (Mother Konkani). ==See also==