The Rome of the Orient
Since the 1600s, Goa has been a sponge for Portuguese cultural influences. Most people in the country today, or for that matter around the world, often assume a synonymous relationship between the Portuguese colonial empire and the Indian state of Goa. This co-dependency is so prevalent and widespread that there is little awareness of the availability of institutions or literature on the pre-colonial period of the region.
Goa as it is known today, was referred to by different names across recorded time. A superficial peek into history will provide a list of varied names that were given to this region by different rulers or empires. One thing is for sure, ‘Goa’ – the Europeanised name for this state that exists within the republic of India is relatively new, at least in comparison to the history of the region. And this name is an obvious mispronunciation of the local Konkani version.
When we talk of ‘Old Goa’ the first thing that comes to mind is the colonial era. A rudimentary search on the internet will yield images and literature – however commercial or inaccurate – that cements this version of Goa. But there is obviously a lot more to the region than beautiful churches and intriguing archaeological ruins.
Long before the Portuguese arrived in India or Goa for that matter, the region was home to a flourishing civilization that was ever-present but changed titles and names depending on who ruled it and what influenced it. Across time, right until this day – the region of Goa has been an important or primary trading point, between people, nations and empires.
Even before the Portuguese knew about the existence of Goa, it was an established trading hub. This is especially because of the unique coastal topography that is very conducive for the development of ports and docks. Until the modern era that is characterized by the use of cement and concrete, past ports and docks were routinely used and disused due to natural phenomenon such as silting. But the region, despite these topographical changes, has been a trading hub across known history.
What is often called ‘Old Goa’ today is a historical site and city situated on the southern banks of the River Mandovi, within the Tiswadi taluka (Ilhas) of North Goa district. This part of the city was organised by the Bijapur Sultanate around the 15th century AD. After the Portuguese invaded Goa, it served as capital of Portuguese Indian empire, until its abandonment in the 18th century AD due to a plague.
Old Goa was the secondary capital of the Bijapur Sultanate before the Portuguese captured it in 1510, defeating the forces of Adil Shah. Old Goa is said to have been one of the richest cities in the world during the 16th and 17th century, before epidemics of cholera and malaria paralysed Goa. Under Portuguese rule, it is said to have been a city of nearly 200,000 people, from whence the spice trade was carried out across the Portuguese empire. Old Goa was also known as ‘Rome of the East’ due to the incidence of prettily designed churches and wide open piazzas. The Portuguese are said to have lovingly called it Goa Dourada, literally meaning ‘Golden Goa.’
The problem with Old Goa was that it was built on a swamp, and that meant lots of mosquitoes. Along with poor sanitation, the city underwent epidemic after epidemic of malaria, cholera and typhoid fever. Roughly, every 10-15 years a major epidemic would strike, killing the majority of the population of the city. For instance, in 1535 a cholera epidemic wiped out the majority of the population.
Despite the unending cycle of epidemics, Lisbon insisted that the city could be made livable if the swamps were drained and the sanitation improved. However, the attempts to ‘fix’ the problems were abandoned as the deaths of the workers by malaria were too high to continue. It was then that the viceroy moved to Panjim. It continued to be the de jure capital of Goa until 1843, when the capital was shifted to Panjim. The abandoned city came to be known as Velha Goa, to distinguish it from the new capital Nova Goa (Panjim) and probably also Goa Velha (also meaning ‘Old Goa’), which was the Portuguese name for the town on the old site of Govapuri.
It is hard to imagine a city that size and with a population that immense (especially given the lower population rates of that era) that existed in what is today’s ‘Old Goa’ – a sleepy part of the landscape with archeological ruins and remnants and a few colonial and modern homes strewn around across the green landscape. Few Indian cities would have boasted that size and needless to say that level of wealth, especially given that the region was an important trading hub for high value commodities.
The name ‘Old Goa’ however, is a relatively new one. It came into widespread use around the 1960s, popularized by local news media to distinguish it from other parts of the city. Officially speaking the village panchayat of the region uses the name Sé-Old Goa, while India Post and the Archaeological Survey of India use the name Velha Goa.
Irrespective of what the city is called today though, there are a few things about this place that have impacted the history of the region, country and the world. Old Goa acted as the gateway to Goa and India, for the Portuguese – making way for them to leave a permanent mark on modern India. Old Goa also acted as a point of emanation for various kinds of trades, leading it to have a significant if not visible cultural influence on other parts of the Portuguese empire that was spread across the world. And lastly, Old Goa became a sort of a living graveyard that preserved the remnants of an empire and a period of time in world history for several succeeding generations to visit and appreciate.