Goa

Goa may be famous for its beaches, but it has a long and layered history. Some of the oldest traces of human activity are the prehistoric rock carvings at Usgalimal, on the banks of the Kushavati river in South Goa, which show animals, human figures and symbols. Over time Goa became a natural trading point on the western coast, and its rivers and harbours connected it with the wider Indian Ocean world.

In ancient times Goa came under the influence of several major powers of the Deccan, including the Mauryas and the Satavahanas, followed by local rulers such as the Bhojas. Later it was ruled by the Chalukyas of Badami and the Rashtrakutas. From around the 10th century the Kadamba dynasty of Goa rose to power, ruling first from Chandrapur, near modern Chandor, and later from Gopakapattana on the Zuari river. The Kadambas encouraged trade and built temples, and the Mahadev Temple at Tambdi Surla, a small stone shrine hidden in the forest, is the best surviving example of their architecture.

In the 14th and 15th centuries Goa passed through the hands of the Delhi Sultanate, the Vijayanagara empire and the Bahmani Sultanate. It then became part of the Adil Shahi kingdom of Bijapur, which made Ela, the site of present day Old Goa, an important port. The Safa Masjid at Ponda dates from this Adil Shahi period. In 1510 the Portuguese commander Afonso de Albuquerque captured the city, beginning more than 450 years of Portuguese rule.

Under the Portuguese, Old Goa grew into a grand capital of their Asian empire, and missionaries such as Francis Xavier, who arrived in 1542, made it a major centre of Christianity in Asia. The Basilica of Bom Jesus, which holds the remains of Francis Xavier, and the Se Cathedral are part of the Churches and Convents of Goa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Portuguese also built strong coastal forts such as Aguada and Reis Magos. Many Hindu temples were rebuilt in the interior, around Ponda, during this era. Old Goa declined because of disease and other factors, and the capital was formally shifted to Panjim, now Panaji, in 1843.

Goans resisted colonial rule in different ways over the centuries. The modern freedom movement gained momentum when the socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia addressed a public meeting in Margao on 18 June 1946, a date now marked as Goa Revolution Day. Even after India became independent in 1947, Goa remained under Portuguese rule. On 19 December 1961 Indian forces entered Goa, and Portuguese rule came to an end. This day is celebrated as Goa Liberation Day.

Goa was then administered as part of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. In an opinion poll held in January 1967, the people of Goa chose to remain separate rather than merge with Maharashtra. On 30 May 1987 Goa became a full state of India, with Panaji as its capital, while Daman and Diu continued as a Union Territory. Konkani, the main language of Goa, was added to the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1992. Visitors can explore this past in the churches of Old Goa, the Latin quarter of Fontainhas in Panaji, the temples of Ponda and the coastal forts.