Portuguese Colonization In India
Introduction
Portuguese colonial holdings in India are referred to as "Portuguese Settlements in India". At the time of British India's independence in 1947, Portuguese India included a number of enclaves on India's western coast, including Goa proper, as well as the coastal enclaves of Daman and Diu and the interior enclaves of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The entire Portuguese Indian region is referred to as Goa.
Portuguese Colonization of India
• With its lure to adventure, the Renaissance movement enthralled Europe in the fifteenth century.
• During this time, Europe made significant advancements in shipbuilding and navigation.
• As a result, there was a great desire for daring naval explorations of the uncharted nations of the East throughout Europe.
• The Portuguese State of India was a Portuguese colonial state in India, often known as Portuguese India.
• Portuguese colonists were the first Europeans to enter India and the last to leave.
• Vasco De Gama entered India for the first time as a Portuguese in 1498. On the other hand, it is believed that Portuguese authority in India lasted from 1505 till 1961.
• Portuguese colonialism survived its English rival, but it had less of an impact outside its borders.
• By an imaginary line in the Atlantic, some 1,300 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands, the Rulers of Portugal and Spain partitioned the non-Christian world under the terms of the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) in 1497.
• The agreement stated that Spain could claim and occupy everything west of the line, while Portugal could claim and occupy anything east of it.
• As a result, the groundwork was laid for Portuguese forays into the Indian Ocean.
• Vasco da Gama arrived at the port of Calicut in South-West India on May 20, 1498.
• May 20, 1498, marked the start of a brand-new era in Indian history.
Portuguese Colonial Presence In India
• The Portuguese had controlled sixty miles of shoreline in the area of Goa.
• In addition to the approaches to Gujarat, they also controlled a narrow strip of territory on the west coast between Mumbai and Daman and Diu, which included four important ports as well as numerous towns and cities.
• In the south, they held authority over a number of naval strongholds and trading ports, including Mangalore, Cannanore, Cochin, and Calicut.
• The local monarchs who ruled the area where spices were grown were under their influence, even if their power in Malabar was not great.
• The Portuguese built settlements and military facilities on the east coast at San Thome, close to Chennai, and Nagapattinam, in Tamil Nadu.
• By the end of the 16th century, Hooghly in West Bengal had developed into a prosperous settlement.
Portuguese In Calicut
• King Dom Manuel I of Portugal sent Vasco da Gama, who arrived in Calicut on May 17, 1498, at Kappad.
• After discovering a sea route from Europe to Malabar in 1498, the Portuguese started to enlarge their sphere of influence and rule the waterways between Ormus and the Malabar Coast as well as south to Ceylon.
• The navigator received the customary hospitality, but speaking with the Zamorin produced little useful information.
• The following expedition, which was conducted by Pedro lvares Cabral, was undertaken by the Portuguese King in 1500.
• Vasco da Gama returned to Calicut in February 1502 with 15 ships and 800 men.
• In response to Calicut's refusal to expel all Muslims, Vasco da Gama assaulted the city and seized a number of rice boats, chopping off the crew's hands, ears, and noses.
• A peace agreement between the Samutiri of Calicut and the Portuguese Viceroy Nuno da Cunha led to the construction of a Portuguese fort in Chaliyam in 1531.
• Fort Chaliyam was ultimately attacked, taken, and demolished in 1571 by the Kozhikode army.
Portuguese In Cochin
• The first European colony in India was established in Kochi. The Portuguese Admiral Pedro lvares Cabral came at Cochin in the year 1500 after being sent away from Calicut.
• The king of Kochi, a rival, invited the Portuguese as guests and they formed a friendship pact.
• By offering his assistance in the invasion of Calicut, the admiral convinced the monarch to grant them permission to build a factory at Cochin.
• Encouraged by the support, the emperor proclaimed war on the Calicut Zamorins.
• The admiral backed away in dread as he realized the Zamorin's capabilities.
• The Kochi Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica was built by the Portuguese.
• With the support of the Kochi Raja, Portugal governed the Port of Kochi from 1503 till 1663. Up until 1510, Kochi served as the Portuguese's main base of operations in India.
• In 1530, Saint Francis Xavier arrived and started a Christian ministry.
• Jews living in the region experienced discrimination during the ensuing Portuguese era because the Inquisition was established in Portuguese India in 1560.
• The Portuguese viceroy Vasco da Gama was laid to rest at Kochi's St. Francis Church until his body was transported and reburied in Portugal in 1539.
• Shortly after Albuquerque's arrival, the Portuguese presence in Kerala started to decline.
Portuguese Fort In Kannur
• One of Kannur's most important historical sites is the enormous triangular laterite fort known as Portuguese Fort or Kannur Fort, also known as Angelo's Fort.
• The fort, which is surrounded by massive bastions that provide for a spectacular sight, was constructed in 1505 by the first Portuguese Viceroy, Don Francesco de Almeida.
• This enormous triangular laterite structure is encircled by imposing bastions, making for a menacing image.
• It afterwards came under the control of the Dutch and the British, who renovated and re-equipped it to serve as their main military stronghold in Malabar.
• Dharmadam Island and Mopilla Bay are the main draws in this area.
• The fort offers a lovely view of Mopilla Bay, which is a natural harbor, as well as a sea wall that separates the choppy sea from the interior water.
Portuguese In Goa
• The Portuguese conquered Goa in 1510 and expelled the Bijapur Sultanate.
• Around 450 years of Portuguese rule had a lasting impression on Goa culture, cuisine, and architecture.
• The Indian Army attacked and seized Goa in 1961 after a 36-hour journey.
• The union territory of Goa, Daman, and Diu was created when Goa, Daman, and Diu combined. In 1987, Goa received statehood.
• Albuquerque founded a Portuguese mint in Goa. Local business owners and Timoji have voiced their displeasure with the lack of money.
• The brand-new coin was released to honor recent victories. Its value was determined by the worth of the current coins. A new mint was established in Malacca under Portuguese rule.
• The chapel of St. Catherine was built when the Portuguese ruled Old Goa.
• The thirty village communities on the island maintained most of their traditions and laws under Albuquerque and his successors, only the sati ceremony, in which widows were burned on their husbands' funeral pyres, was abandoned.
• A list of these rituals was compiled in 1526, and it is regarded as one of the most significant historical records on Goa traditions.
• The Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Asia and the largest church in Portugal. It was constructed in the 16th century during Portugal's Golden Age.
• Goa was improved by Portugal in many ways, with architecture being the most obvious.
• The former capital of Goa, Velha Goa, currently houses churches, chapels, and convents, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Portuguese In Mumbai
• The Portuguese Armadas arrived to a seven-island archipelago that made up Bombay city.
• Their Latin Christian religious orders in Bombay were established and flourished thanks in large part to the Portuguese in Goa and Bombay-Bassein.
• Throughout their dictatorship, the islands were leased to numerous Portuguese commanders, who gave them various names that eventually came to be known as Bom Baim.
• Portuguese Franciscans and Jesuits built St. Michael's Church in Mahim, St. John the Baptist Church in Andheri, St. Andrew's Church and the Basilica of Mount Bandra (Bombay) in Bandra, and Gloria Church in Byculla.
• Additionally, the Portuguese built walls to surround the city, including the Bombay Castle, Madh Fort, and Castella de Aguada (commonly known as the Bandra Fort).
• While delaying a full transfer of control over the seven islands, the viceroy in Goa disrespected the Portuguese throne.
• The seven islands of Bombay were thus partially in Velha Goa's authority even after the pact, and the English East India Company didn't entirely take possession of the islands until the Battle of Bassein in 1739.
Daman And Diu
• In 1530 CE, Nino da Cunha captured Bassein and Diu from Gujarat's Bahadur Shah. Additionally, they established colonies on the east coast at San Thome in Madras and Hugli in Bengal, as well as on the west coast at Salsette, Daman, and Bombay.
• With the exception of Daman, Diu, and Goa, the Portuguese had lost all of their recently acquired territories in India by the end of the 16th century, as their power in the country had begun to decline.
• Bahadur Shah's relations with the Portuguese deteriorated when Humayun left Gujarat in 1536.
• After the citizens of the town started fighting the Portuguese, Bahadur Shah intended to construct a partition wall.
• The Portuguese launched negotiations in response, and it was during this time that the Gujarati ruler was invited onboard a Portuguese ship and killed in 1537.
• By settling a significant number of Portuguese citizens in the city of Hooghly, Da Cunha also sought to increase Portuguese influence in Bengal.
Portuguese In Hooghly
• The Mughal emperor Akbar granted the Portuguese permission to build the town of Hooghly-Chinsurah on the banks of the Hooghly River in 1579.
• As a thriving port and economic colony, Bandel even had a chapel constructed there by the Portuguese.
• However, the majestic Bandel Church was destroyed by the Mughals in 1632 while Hooghly was under siege.
• Legend has it that Shah Jahan sent a priest from the church and a few thousand Christians to Agra where they were slaughtered by ferocious elephants.
• When considered as a whole, the Hooghly river valley is dotted with townships like Chinsurah that have a vibrant colonial heritage.
• The Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danes, and British all founded trading settlements. Additionally, the region still has monuments from that time period.
Portuguese In Coromandel Zone
• A few of the places in Tamil Nadu with the suffix "pettai" are Saidapettai, Crompettai, and Ulundurpettai. There are hundreds of locations with the suffix "pettai."
• Given that Porto, Portugal's second-largest city after Lisbon, is named after a port, the suffix pettai is utilized in a number of Chennai neighborhoods.
• Before the British arrived, Portuguese and Dutch settlers created Tuticorin, which explains why the city in southern Tamil Nadu has a strong Portuguese influence, even in the city's architecture and surnames of its inhabitants.
• Nearly 2 lakh fisherman were estimated to have Portuguese surnames in the Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts based on local census figures.
• The Coromandel region had Portuguese towns all around it.
• The Luz Church in Mylapore, Madras (Chennai), was the first church built by the Portuguese in the region, and in 1522, they restored the So Tome or San Thome temple.
Portuguese Influence On Indian Culture
• Western architectural traits have been adapted as a result of the Portuguese influence in Goa and other regions of India.
• As a result of this clash of cultures, both religious and secular constructions (churches, convents, and Hindu temples) developed a very distinctive style.
• The architecture, especially in the cathedrals, has a southern European feel to it. The music has elements of Portuguese fado.
• The diet was enriched by the Portuguese's contributions of potatoes, tomatoes, pineapples, and cashews, and the Goa make feni, their version of moonshine, from the cashew tree's apple.
• They brought tobacco cultivation to India.
• They spread Catholicism along the western and eastern shores of India.
• In Goa (1556), they built the first printing press.
• 'The Indian Medicinal Plants,' the first scientific book, was released in Goa in 1563.
• They were the ones who initially used the Cartaze System to lay out "How to build maritime trade and mastery over the sea" (i.e., under this system, everyone passing through the Portuguese territory must acquire permits otherwise they are meant to be captured).
• In India and Asia, they were the first Europeans to spread Christianity.
Significance
• The majority of historians concur that the Portuguese presence not only marked the start of the European era but also the expansion of naval power.
• For instance, the Cholas were a maritime power, but this was the first invasion of India by a foreign nation.
• The cannons on the Portuguese ships were the first step in securing a monopoly over trade by intimidation or coercion.
• In the 16th century, the Portuguese utilized body armor, matchlock troops, and weaponry that were brought in by ships from the Malabar.
• On the other hand, the system of drilling infantry groups, which was instituted in the 1630s as a response to Dutch pressure and was fashioned after the Spanish model, was an important military contribution made by the Portuguese ashore.
• The Portuguese were experts in cutting-edge marine strategy.
• They were able to carry more armaments since their multi-decked ships were well-built and designed to withstand Atlantic gales rather than sail in advance of the typical monsoon.
• As the silversmith and goldsmith trades flourished, Goa became a mecca for intricate filigree work, fretted foliage work, and metalwork containing diamonds.
• The interiors of churches constructed during the Portuguese era frequently have elaborate woodwork and artwork in addition to painted ceilings, while the architectural designs are frequently simple.