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Goa
The origin of Goa or Gomantak as it is also known, is lost in the mists of
time. In the later Vedic period, when the Hindu epic Mahabharat was written, Goa
has been referred to as Gomantak, meaning a fertile land. The most famous legend
associated with Goa, is that of the mythical sage Parashuram (the sixth
incarnation of Lord Vishnu), who several thousand years ago created the entire
stretch of Konkan coast by ordering the seas to recede. The Sea God gave up the
lands on the the banks of the two main rivers of Goa viz. Mandovi and Zuari
(then called Gomati and Asghanasini) for the settlement of the Aryans
accompanying Parashurama.
Another legend, less well known, states that the coastal area of Konkan
enchanted Lord Krishna, who was charmed by the beautiful ladies bathing in the
area. The ladies in turn, were so taken up by the melodious music coming from
his flute, that they kept dancing forgetting their daily chores. Lord Krishna,
then named the land Govapuri after the cows (gov) belonging to the locals. The
first wave of Brahmins to settle in Goa, were called Saraswats because of their
origins from the banks of the River Saraswati, an ancient river that existed in
Vedic times. The subsequent drying up of the river caused large scale migration
of Brahmins to all corners of India. A group of ninety-six families, known today
as Gaud Saraswats, settled along the Konkan coast around 1000 BC. The Saraswat
Brahmins worked in partnership with the local indigenous people, the Kunbi
tribals who still exist today. Around the year 740 AD, the Brahmins established
their first Matha (religious centre of learning) at Kushasthali (present day
Cortalim) .
Goa was later ruled by the Satavahanas of Kolhapur (in Maharashtra) around two
thousand years ago. It eventually passed to the Chalukyas of Badami, who
controlled it between 580 to 750. Over the next few centuries Goa was
successively ruled by the Silharas, the Kadambas and the Chalukyans of Kalyani,
the rulers of Deccan India.
In 1312, Goa came under the governance of the Delhi Sultanate. However, the
kingdom's grip on the region was weak, and by 1370 they were forced to surrender
it to Harihara I of Vijayanagar. The Vijayanagar monarchs held on to the
territory for the next hundred years until 1469, when it was appropriated by the
Bahmani sultans of Gulbarga. After the dynasty crumbled, the area came under the
hands of the Adil Shahis of Bijapur who made Velha Goa their auxiliary capital.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama became the first European to set foot in India through a
sea route, landing in Kozhikode in Kerala, followed by an arrival in what is now
known as Old Goa. The Portuguese arrived with the intention of setting up a
colony and seizing complete control of the spice trade from other European
powers. Later, in 1510, Portuguese admiral Afonso de Albuquerque defeated the
ruling Bijapur kings on behalf of a local sovereign, Timayya, leading to the
establishment of a permanent settlement in Velha Goa (or Old Goa). The
Portuguese intended it to be a colony and a naval base, distinct from the
fortified enclaves established elsewhere along India's coasts.
An interesting development of the 18th century in Goa is the Conspiracy Of The
Pintos in 1787 which was inspired by the French Revolution. This was the first
ethnic rebellion against Portuguese rule in Goa. After India gained independence
from the British in 1947, Portugal refused to accede to India's request to
relinquish their control of its exclave. After arbitration by the United Nations
General Assembly in the 1950s, the Indian army moved in, uniting the colony with
India. Most nations later recognised the annexation, and Portugal recognised it
after its Carnation Revolution in 1974. In 1987, the Union Territory was split,
and Goa was elevated as India's twenty-fifth state.