History of Goa
Goa has always been kept out of mainstream Indian history owing to its inaccessibility by land. Historical records also suggest that the region had always been one of the most lucrative options for colonial powers because of the prosperous spice trade. Before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1510, for close to a thousand years Goa was under the rule of the Kadamba kingdom.
The Jesuit Mission founded by St. Francis Xavier in 1542 hastened conversions to Christianity and was also instrumental in banning all other religions except Catholicism. But the rising influence of the Jesuits soon started to threaten the Portuguese government, who eventually expelled the Jesuits.
The region also saw a brief period of British occupation, which witnessed the liberalization of the state. A number of Goans moved to Mumbai and other parts of the country in search of work during the British rule.
A liberation march in Goa in the year 1955 resulted in a number of deaths. After repeated attempts of Goa’s liberation during the 1950s, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ran out of patience and sent in the Indian army. The operation saw little resistance from the Portuguese and the army was able to overrun the entire state in just two days. Goa therefore owes its freedom as much to the government of India as it does to freedom fighters like Dr. Cunha and Menezes Braganza.
After independence, Goa has become a prosperous state with a flourishing tourism industry. The culture of the state, though, has been struggling to maintain its identity as the result of huge influx of population from other Indian states.
Goa was granted the status of a full-fledged state and Konkani was declared as the official language in 1987.
The Jesuit Mission founded by St. Francis Xavier in 1542 hastened conversions to Christianity and was also instrumental in banning all other religions except Catholicism. But the rising influence of the Jesuits soon started to threaten the Portuguese government, who eventually expelled the Jesuits.
The region also saw a brief period of British occupation, which witnessed the liberalization of the state. A number of Goans moved to Mumbai and other parts of the country in search of work during the British rule.
A liberation march in Goa in the year 1955 resulted in a number of deaths. After repeated attempts of Goa’s liberation during the 1950s, India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ran out of patience and sent in the Indian army. The operation saw little resistance from the Portuguese and the army was able to overrun the entire state in just two days. Goa therefore owes its freedom as much to the government of India as it does to freedom fighters like Dr. Cunha and Menezes Braganza.
After independence, Goa has become a prosperous state with a flourishing tourism industry. The culture of the state, though, has been struggling to maintain its identity as the result of huge influx of population from other Indian states.
Goa was granted the status of a full-fledged state and Konkani was declared as the official language in 1987.
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