Staff Reporter
Ponda
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the Portuguese did not rule all of Goa for 450 years, as is often taught in schools.
“The Portuguese controlled only Salcete, Bardez, and Tiswadi for 450 years, while the remaining eight talukas were influenced by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and came under Portuguese rule only after his death in 1680,” said Sawant, speaking at the state-level Shivaji Jayanti programme at Farmagudi, on Wednesday.
He said that if the Portuguese had ruled all of Goa for 450 years, the entire population would have undergone religious conversion. “Due to Shivaji’s influence in most parts of the state, a majority of Goans were protected from conversion,” said Sawant.
He cited Portuguese records to support his claim, stating that in a document dated November 18, 1667, a Portuguese viceroy wrote that Shivaji’s son had captured Goa’s upper regions, showing that Portuguese rule was initially limited. He added that when the Portuguese attempted religious conversions in Bardez, Sambhaji Maharaj suppressed them. After Shivaji’s death in 1680, the Portuguese viceroy wrote that they could now rule all of Goa, Sawant said.
“History books should include this information so that students learn the correct version of Goa’s past,” he said.
Sawant also said that Shivaji Maharaj’s son Sambhaji’s attacks on the Portuguese were aimed at liberating Goa, not attacking it, and that his goal was to establish Hindavi Swaraj in the state. “Shahu Maharaj also played a role in protecting Goa, particularly its temples.”
Comparing Shivaji Maharaj’s rule to that of the BJP government, Sawant said both focused on working for the welfare of the common people. Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar and Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude also addressed the gathering, calling for the values of Shivaji Maharaj to be inculcated for the betterment of society.
