History

Goa's history stretches back to the 3rd Century BC, when, it was a part of the Mauryan Empire, after which it was ruled by several regimes the last being the Portuguese, who left behind the happy easy attitude that can be seen everywhere you go.

From the 14th century onwards, Goa became a great trading center on the west coast, especially in the vast trade of horses imported from the Middle East. In 1503, the Portuguese nobleman Alfonso de Albuquerque and his cousin Francisco de Albuquerque, accompanied with a powerful fleet invaded Goa, abiding by the orders of King Manuel I.

The purpose of invasion was to defend the cargoes of spices, mostly pepper, against Arab Muslim raiders. It was in 1506-08 that an opportunistic pirate, Timoja, persuaded Albuquerque to attack Goa making it the Portugal's first territorial acquisition in Asia. After that Goa was recaptured briefly by the Muslims, succeeded by the final colonial acquisition by Albuquerque in 1510.

The Portuguese also erected some of the world’s greatest churches like the church of St. Cajetan and Bom Jesus basilica in Old Goa, which is a pilgrimage site for the Christians all over the world.

What gives Goa a distinct status among the rest of the country, is its unique East-West symbiosis, revealed in its colonial heritage, glorious culture and an uneventful past. Goa became a Portuguese colony in 1510 following the urges of trade and demand of spices, cotton and indigo. Goa is the last state in India to gain independence and became a union territory of India in 1961 after its liberation from Portuguese imperialism of around 450 years.

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