History of Goa

A small state on the west coast of India got its name from the Hindu epic "Mahabharata". It used to be said as "Gomantak" signifying fertile land. However, the name Goa was given by Portuguese.

Before they arrived within the scenario, Goa, or Gove or Gowapura, was the name only of the port town near the mouth of the Mandovi River. This was also a similar site on which the Portuguese later built their capital, which is today’s Old Goa. Let’s take you thru a summary of History Of Goa.

Different Era & Stories of Goa

1. Myths And Stories From Mahabharata

The history of Goa or Gomantak has been woven into seamless strings of varied myths and stories that take us back to the time of Mahabharata. For some, the origin of Goalies when Parshurama; the sixth incarnation of Vishnu ordered the ocean god Varuna to recede the ocean to the purpose his axe struck after he flung it.

Lord Varuna later gave up this part of land till the shores of River Mandovi and River Zuari to Parshurama and Aryan clan following him. This piece of land came to be referred to as Konkan of which Goa may be a southernmost part.

2. Age Of Village God & Goddesses - The Bronze & Iron Age

In 2200 before christ, the originally written regard to Goa appears to own been in Cuneiform, in Sumerian times when the King Judea of Lagash called it Gubio. Sumerians had built trade contacts with Goa and lots of Sumerians established in Goa and along the Konkan coast.

The Sumerians also influenced the language, caste system, and therefore the kinship practices to some extent; Sumerians are considered to alter its own many local customs and start their own systems like their sort of temple architecture, the Devadasi system.

Sumerian influence in Goa also can be seen within the entertainment and games of the region. Even before any king ruled the territory, oligarchic democracy within the sort of Gavkari existed in Goa.

Gavkari System’s foremost idea was that village area must belong to the village god or goddess. It consisted of specific boundaries of land from village to village with its topographic feature, its management and social, religious and cultural interaction.

3. Era Of The Great Emperor Ashoka

Goa was a section of the Mauryan empire of Emperor Ashoka. It has been recognised by other cultures by various names. Two hundred years B.C., Goa became the southern fringe of the empire of Ashoka. The Aryans had pushed away from the Dravidian kingdoms to the southern tip of India, like the Pandyas, Cholas, Tamil Mad, Satyaputras, and Keralaputras. Having a foothold over the past helps us understand the history of Goa better.

4. The Era Of Consecutive Hindu Dynasties

Goa was ruled by several dynasties of varied origins from the first century BC to 1500 AD. For 700 years, tons of Hindu dynasties ruled Goa. History of Goa may be a timeline rule by several dynasties from origins with a distinctly traditional and cultural background.

Goa's Independence

After India attained independence from British on 15th August 1947, it advised to Portugal to offer up its holdings in Goa and other portions in India. By then even the french had given up their boundaries; namely Pondicherry to India without much opposition. But Portugal refused to try to so and instead modify its constitution to accommodate Goa as a Portuguese province.

In 1954, Indians tried to revolution by trying to locate small land-locked lands in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. But they were attacked by the Portuguese who had complained to the International Court of Justice regarding this matter. In 1960, the judgement given declared that the Portuguese had full authority over the enclaves but even India had the power to refuse entry to the Portuguese within the Goan enclaves.

Numerous attempts were made by the Satyagrahis to rebel versus the Portuguese rule. But each they were enforced to run away with causalities growing day by day.

On December 19, 1961, Indian soldiery traversed Goan borders and beat the Portuguese under the code name ‘Operation Vijay’. For nearly 36 hours there have been continuous air, navy and military strikes which resulted in complete surrender by the Portuguese. The United Nations, the United States, and the United Kingdom criticized the attack, but Russia was pro for it.

Goa was then stated as a federally controlled territory as wanted by its citizens. It performed proper statehood in 1987. Now per annum, Goans celebrate December 19 as “Liberation Day” which may be a state holiday.